Let trade be the ‘stabiliser’ to China-US relations after balloon saga, senior Chinese diplomat says
- Senior Chinese diplomat in Washington hopes business will make good use of China’s opening-up, regardless of latest controversy
- Xu Xueyuan says the incident should not be allowed to offset efforts by both sides to maintain stability in their relations
Xu Xueyuan, chargé d’affaires at Beijing’s embassy in the US, said the “accidental and occasional event of a civilian airship straying into US airspace” had created new difficulties in China-US relations.
“We should not allow this incident to offset the efforts made by both sides in maintaining the stability of bilateral relations,” Xu said, in a keynote speech to the event hosted by the US-China Business Council.
Xu said trade is still key to relations between the two countries, regardless of the “negative” US trade measures, including export controls against China.
“China-US economic and trade cooperation is based on the mutual needs of the two peoples, and a healthy, stable and cooperative economic and trade relationship is in the interests of the United States itself,” she said.
“The mutually beneficial and win-win nature of China-US economic and trade cooperation will not change, and it will still play the role of a stabiliser in the relationship between the two countries.”