China calls on US to ‘correct’ mistakes, uphold mutual respect

China has placed the blame on the United States for plunging bilateral relations, calling on the new administration in Washington to rectify past mistakes and promote mutual respect.

Yang Jiechi, the top foreign policy aide to Chinese President Xi Jinping, made the remarks in his first phone call with the new United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday.

Yang said the newly-elected administration of US President Joe Biden should "correct recent mistakes, and work with China to promote a healthy and stable development of China-US relations by upholding the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation," according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.

The top Chinese diplomat also stressed that both Washington and Beijing should respect the other's core interests, as well as political systems and developmental paths of their own choosing.

"Each side should focus on taking care of its own domestic affairs. China will firmly continue down the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and no one can stop the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," the statement quoted Yang as saying.

During the phone call, the senior Chinese official also highlighted several major sources of continued tension between the two countries, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang region.

The US has accused China of human rights violations against Uighur Muslims in the resource-rich Xinjiang, an allegation vehemently rejected by Beijing, which says it is in fact taking anti-terrorism measures against separatists seeking to join extremist militant outfits such as al-Qaeda.

Moreover, Yang told an online forum on Tuesday that he hoped relations between the two countries could return to a predictable and constructive track, but he urged the United States to “stop interfering” on issues that violate Chinese sovereignty.

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In a tweet showing no propensity on the new US administration’s part for the reduction of tensions, Blinken responded to Yang’s comments late on Saturday, saying the US would defend its national interests, stand up for democratic values and hold Beijing accountable for what he claimed to be "abuses of the international system."

In my call with my counterpart in Beijing, Yang Jiechi, I made clear the U.S. will defend our national interests, stand up for our democratic values, and hold Beijing accountable for its abuses of the international system.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 6, 2021

Blinken went on to say that Washington would support human rights and democratic values in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and affirmed that the US would "hold China accountable" for "threatening stability" in the Indo-Pacific, including the Taiwan Straits.

The US Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, the first time a US warship has gone through the strategic waterway that separates China and Taiwan during the Biden administration.

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A first US warship passes through the sensitive Taiwan Strait since American President Joe Biden came to power last month.

Ties between Washington and Beijing under former US President Donald Trump turned fractious, with clashes on issues relating to trade, technology, regional security and human rights.

However, Chinese officials have expressed cautious optimism that bilateral relations would improve under the Biden administration.

Biden has shown little sign of establishing a swift rapprochement with Beijing, describing China as Washington’s “most serious competitor,” and saying the US would continue to confront what he called China’s “attack on human rights, intellectual property and global governance.”

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