China and the United States should overcome their differences and seek cooperation rather than conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
“Dialogue between China and the United States is preferable to confrontation, cooperation is better than conflict, and a win-win situation is better than a zero-sum game“, Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying after his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich on Feb. 13.
The Chinese diplomat explained that Beijing and Washington should adhere to the principles of equality, respect and reciprocity, as this would allow them to “find solutions to each other's problems and properly resolve differences“.
Wang Yi said that China and the United States should build on the consensus reached between the two leaders so that by 2026, China-U.S. relations will develop on the principles of respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation. He affirmed the need to continuously expand the scope of China-U.S. cooperation and “reduce the list of problems“.
The Chinese foreign minister also stressed the need for “stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations and more positive signals to the world“.
Wang Yi and Rubio reaffirmed the constructive nature of their meeting in Munich. They agreed to implement the agreements reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, use political and diplomatic channels, strengthen dialogue and develop cooperation in all areas, and promote the stable development of China-U.S. relations.
The Chinese foreign minister discussed the Ukrainian crisis separately in Munich with his German and British counterparts Johann Wadeful and Yvette Cooper.