BEIJING, Mar 8: China on Sunday rejected the G2 concept of global co-governance between Beijing and Washington, saying that managing international affairs requires the collective efforts of all nations.
Last year, US President Donald Trump described the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea as a “G2 meeting”, saying the two countries could work together for their benefit and that of the world.
Asked whether China will accept the G2 or Group of Two framework to address global challenges, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing does not agree with the logic of co-governance by major powers.
China will not tread the old path of “seeking hegemony when one becomes strong”, Wang said during his annual press conference here.
His comments came ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2, which would be the first trip to the country by a sitting US president since 2017.
However, the US war on Iran cast a shadow over the proposed visit. China has not officially announced the trip, but it has acknowledged that preparations for the summit are underway.
Wang said there is no doubt that China and the US have a significant impact on the world, “but we should not forget there are more than 190 countries on our planet”.
“World history has always been written by many countries together, and the future of humanity will be forged through the collective efforts of all nations. Diversity is the inherent nature of human society, and multipolarity is what the international landscape should look like.
“Looking back into history, great-power rivalry and bloc confrontation have invariably inflicted disaster and pain on humanity. Therefore, China will never take the beaten path of seeking hegemony,” he said.
At the same time, Wang described the relationship between China and the US as having far-reaching global implications.
“Turning our backs on each other would only lead to mutual misperception and miscalculation. Sliding into conflict or confrontation could drag the whole world down,” he said, referring to the US war on Iran.
“China and the US are both big countries. Neither side can remodel the other, but we can choose how we want to engage, that is, to commit to a spirit of mutual respect, to hold the bottom line of peaceful coexistence, and to strive for the prospect of win-win cooperation,” Wang said.
He also hailed the interactions between Trump and Xi, saying their engagement had provided an important strategic safeguard for improving bilateral ties and helped stabilise relations after periods of ups and downs.
“This year is a ‘big year’ for China-US relations. The agenda of high-level exchanges is already on the table. What the two sides need to do now is to make thorough preparations accordingly, create a suitable environment, manage the risks that do exist, and remove unnecessary disruptions,” he said.
Responding to a question, Wang described China-Russia ties as “rock- solid”.
“In a fluid and turbulent world, the China-Russia relationship has stood rock-solid against all odds… the main reason is that the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination has been based on equality, respect and mutual benefit since day one. It represents the direction of a new type of major-country relations,” he said.
Wang said China and Russia are strategically independent.
“We always respect each other’s core interests, do not impose the will or agenda of one on the other, and keep to the principle of non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party,” he said. (PTI)
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