‘China is not the Soviet Union’ says Beijing’s envoy to Washington
- Qin Gang urges an end to ‘cold war mentality’ and more communication to help the two sides handle differences constructively
- ‘Extreme’ policy under Donald Trump caused serious damage to relations and the situation has not changed, he warns
The Chinese ambassador to the US has warned Washington not to treat China in the same way it dealt with the former Soviet Union and called for increasing official exchanges between the two nations.
Qin was speaking at a virtual meeting attended by a number of veteran China watchers, including former secretary of state Henry Kissinger and Susan Thornton, who served under Donald Trump as acting assistant secretary of state.
“We are willing to strengthen communication with the US between the departments of foreign affairs, economy, finance, law enforcement and the military, and rebuild dialogue mechanisms. This is to accurately understand each other‘s policy intentions, properly manage and handle differences in a constructive way.”
Qin said the Soviet Union’s collapse had been caused by a number of factors, including corruption and its heavy involvement in an arms race that led to resentment among its people.