Washington should not take sides, but look at 'rights, wrongs' in S. China Sea issue, official says
A senior Chinese diplomat urged Washington on Thursday to stick to its promise of not taking sides on the South China Sea issue, ahead of the annual highest-level Sino-U.S. dialogue.
At the Lanting Forum ahead of next week's Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, Vice-Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang also called for the United States not to make its South China Sea policy decisions based merely on "whether somebody is an ally or not".
"In fact, the United States is not a claimant in the South China Sea dispute, and it has said it takes no position on territorial disputes," Zheng said.
"So we hope the U.S. can stick to its promise and not choose sides, and instead base its stance on the rights and wrongs of the case," he added.
"I think if Washington can do this and stop provocative acts targeting China's sovereignty and security interests, then the U.S. can play a constructive role in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea" and help defuse the tension on the issue.
State Councilor Yang Jiechi will discuss the South China Sea with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, Zheng added.
Zheng also said that China and the U.S. will hold the sixth Strategic Security Dialogue on Sunday, which will be co-chaired by Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He said representatives of the two militaries and relevant departments will "have in-depth discussions" on issues including sovereignty, maritime and outer space security and military relations.
The Foreign Ministry announced that the eighth Strategic and Economic Dialogue and the seventh China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange will both be held on Monday and Tuesday.
At the S&ED, State Councilor Yang and Kerry will co-chair the strategic part of the dialogue, while Vice-Premier Wang Yang and U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew will co-chair the economic part.
Zheng said the strategic dialogue will cover topics including building up the new type of relations for major nations, managing differences and sensitive issues, and the two countries' interaction in the Asia-Pacific.
A special conference on climate change will be held on the sidelines of the talks.
Qin Yaqing, president of China Foreign Affairs University, said that in the dialogue, China and the U.S. should consider how to convert their differences into areas of cooperation.
"We can even consider whether we can turn the South China Sea into a point of cooperation," she said.
Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said, "China-U.S. relations have come to a new crossroads," citing the debate on China policy in the U.S. presidential campaign, the unknown fate of the S&ED under the next U.S. administration, and U.S. involvement in the South China Sea.
"That has made this round of S&ED more eye-catching," he said.
