President Xi Jinping on US-China relations
(Baonghean.vn) - On June 27, Chinese President Xi Jinping received US Secretary of Defense James Mattis who was visiting China, emphasizing the importance of the relationship between the two countries.
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| President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of US-China relations. Photo: AP |
"The China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world," he said. The Chinese leader said that in recent years, the China-US military relationship has maintained good momentum and Beijing hopes this can continue to be promoted.
For his part, Secretary Mattis said his discussions with Chinese officials went “very, very well.” He expressed his delight at his visit to China and highlighted the importance of military cooperation between the two countries.
This is "a pivotal moment in the history of China and the United States," he said, as both sides work to move their bilateral relationship forward.
Earlier in the day, Secretary Mattis also held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe, who said the meeting was “open and sincere.” While Secretary Mattis stressed that the military-to-military relationship “plays an important role in the broader relationship between the two countries,” Wei Fenghe called the US Defense Secretary’s visit a new positive factor for military-to-military and state-to-state relations.
The head of China's Ministry of National Defense stressed that the two sides can only develop together by maintaining mutual respect, cooperation and avoiding confrontation. Mr. Wei Fenghe also said that the two countries' militaries should strengthen cooperation and control risks.
Mattis's visit to China comes amid escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Ahead of the visit, Mattis said his talks in China would focus on military ties and North Korea nuclear negotiations, and he would look for areas of common interest.
He believes that to resolve current issues between the US and China, the two sides need to hold a transparent strategic dialogue on how China views the development of relations with the US and vice versa, how the US views the development with China.
Beijing is the first stop for Defense Secretary Mattis on a four-day tour of Northeast Asia including China, South Korea and Japan./.
