New Sino-US ties sought

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By Chen Weihua in Washington DC (China Daily) 09:18, September 22, 2013

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivers a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC on Friday evening local time. (Sun Chenbei/China Daily)

Asia-Pacific cooperation may boost relationship, foreign minister says

Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China and the United States must prioritize their cooperation in Asia-Pacific affairs and build a new type of "major-country" relationship in the region.

Wang made the comments in his speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington DC on Friday evening local time, during his first Stateside trip since assuming his post in March.

"We have never had the strategic intention to challenge, let alone replace, the US' position in the world," Wang said.

"We have never thought about pushing the US out of the region. Rather, we hope the US will play a positive and constructive role in safeguarding peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific."

Wang called on the US to respect China's interests and concerns in the region. He first mentioned the Taiwan question, saying it concerns China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Observers have pointed out US arms sales to Taiwan have long been a destabilizing factor in Sino-US relations.

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