State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday proposed lists of interactions with the United States concerning cooperation areas, dialogues and issues that need proper management for steering bilateral ties out of difficulties and back onto the right track.
Wang made the remarks in Beijing when addressing the China-U.S. Think Tanks and Media Forum held via video link.
Given the inter-connectedness and complexity of issues, Wang said it is useful for China and the United States to run over them and draw up three lists.
The first is a list of cooperation areas. It should specify all areas, bilateral and global, where China and the United States need to and can work together, Wang said. "The longer this list goes, the better. Cooperation on this list should be immune to the impact of other issues."
The second is a list of dialogues. "It should itemize the issues of differences that could be solved through dialogues," Wang said, adding they should be designated to the existing dialogue mechanisms and platforms as soon as possible.
The third is a list of issues that need proper management. "It should identify the few tough issues that the two countries have little chance to agree on in the near future," Wang said. "The two sides should manage them well in the spirit of seeking common ground while putting aside differences, so as to minimize their impact on and harm to the overall China-U.S. relations."
