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US-China ties: negativity could lead to catastrophe, diplomat says
- Cooperation should not be ‘one side drawing up a laundry list of demands for the other side’, foreign vice-minister Le Yucheng says
- There is a ‘negative tendency in the US’ to be tough on China, which is ‘dangerous, and could derail this relationship’, he says
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A senior Chinese diplomat has warned that the “negative tendency” of the United States to be tough on China could lead to “catastrophe”, as he slammed Washington’s criticism of Beijing’s alleged human rights abuses.
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Foreign vice-minister Le Yucheng told Associated Press on Friday that US President Joe Biden’s administration’s definition of the relationship between China and the US as competitive, cooperative and adversarial was a negative one.
He instead called for greater cooperation on issues such as fighting Covid-19 and climate change on a basis that was “equal-footed” rather than “one side drawing up a laundry list of demands for the other side”.
“Regrettably, there is a negative tendency in the United States … some people are competing to be tougher on China and taking this as a politically correct thing to do,” Le said, according to a transcript of the interview published on Sunday by China’s foreign ministry.
“This tendency is dangerous and could derail this relationship and lead the world to catastrophe. Such a tendency must be stopped.”
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Le’s remarks came after climate talks between the two sides in Shanghai last week, at which they agreed to increase cooperation on the issue. Biden is set to host a virtual summit on climate change later this week, to which Chinese President Xi Jinping and 39 other state leaders have been invited.
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