Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of Foreign Affairs Commission at the Communist Party of China, told US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that this is the best option in the current global situation, because it favors the interests of the two peoples and responds to the expectations of the international community.

The Chinese leader urged Washington to seek common grounds, build a bridge of collaboration and achieve understanding.

He recalled that in November 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed to his US counterpart, Joe Biden, to commit to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, as the three principles for the development of bilateral relations.

Yang expressed hope that the White House would be capable of fulfilling the promises presented then by Biden, who denied claims of seeking a new Cold War, modifying China’s system or opposing it by strengthening alliances.

Apart from bilateral issues, Yang and Sullivan also reviewed the situation in Ukraine, the Korean peninsula, Iran and Afghanistan.

The two officials held talks in Italy on Monday, and China described the meeting as “frank, profound and constructive.”

jg/iff/acl/ymr