Beijing Ambassador Nicholas Burns, in his speech at the online meeting organized by the National Committee on US-China Relations headquartered in New York, emphasized that they hope that the recently increased contacts between the two countries will bring stability to the relations.
Pointing out that US-China relations will be the most important bilateral relations in the world, Burns said, “We must find a way to live together. It would be madness to think of conflict or war with China.” said.
Burns pointed out the importance of the increasing dialogue initiatives between Washington and China in recent months and said, “We must find ways of communication to live in peace.” he said.
It is observed that high-level contacts have intensified recently in Washington-Beijing relations, which came to a halt due to the crisis caused by the entry of a Chinese high-altitude balloon into the US airspace in February.
After Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China, which he canceled due to the balloon crisis, in June, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Special Representative for Climate Change John Kerry visited the country in July, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited the country in August, and the US Senate delegation visited the country this week.
On the other hand, preparations are being made for Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit to be held in San Francisco, USA in November and to meet with President Joe Biden there.
PROTECTING USA’S MILITARY SUPERIORITY IS A “SACRED DUTY”
Pointing out that technology is at the center of the competition between the two countries, Burns said, “We must be determined to protect our interests in this area because this is not only a matter of commercial competition over which economy will dominate, but also an issue with military implications.” made his assessment.
Burns emphasized that protecting critical technologies is closely related to maintaining the military superiority of the USA and said, “It should be our sacred duty to protect the US army’s position as the number one power in the Indo-Pacific. We can never allow China’s military power to surpass the USA.” he said.
The United States has been taking steps in recent years to limit Beijing’s access to sensitive technologies that could advance its military modernization, particularly through export and investment restrictions in the chip sector.
CHINA’S FAILURE TO CONDEMN HAMAS IS “DISAPPOINTING”
Burns expressed his “disappointment” with China’s response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not directly condemning Hamas but calling for a two-state solution, and said:
“China, in its own words, is taking on a greater role in the Middle East. They have mediated a kind of rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. They want a two-state solution to the Palestine issue. But while doing these, you have to be effective, you have to stand behind something.”
Burns pointed out that China’s choice to keep its distance from conflicts obscures its role as a true “mediator”, and this was also observed in the Ukraine crisis.
Pointing out that it was a bad choice for China to declare “unlimited friendship” with Russia while actively trying to mediate the solution to the Ukraine issue, Burns argued that this approach moved European countries and Indo-Pacific countries away from China and closer to the United States.
“Countries fearing an axis that could include Russia and China, as well as Iran and North Korea, are flocking to the side of the United States,” Burns said. he commented.
CHINA’S ATTITUDE ON THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
While China called on the parties for a “ceasefire and protection of civilians” after the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which escalated with the attacks launched by Hamas on October 7 and Israel’s response, the only way out of the conflict was the “two-state solution” and the “establishment of an independent Palestinian state.” He emphasized that it was.
Meanwhile, the Beijing administration offered Egypt to act as a joint mediator for efforts to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, to stop the violence and to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.
