Chinese FM Starts 1st US Visit of the Year
Take me away, mom Animals on the Road	“Water Margin” on eggs Cat the occupier Adorable animals pose like stars Cuddle up together, battling against blizzard Sunshine in the life

 

This is Foreign Minister Wang Yi's first U.S. visit this year.

It comes at a time when tensions are rising both in the South China Sea and on the Korean Peninsula.

During his trip, Wang Yi is due to meet with senior U.S. officials including Secretary of State John Kerry.

When asked about what message China would be sending to the U.S. on the South China Sea issue, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Hua Chunying, urged the U.S. to honor its commitment of taking no position on competing territorial claims, and stop playing-up the issue or creating tension.

She criticized the U.S. for stirring up hype over the so-called "militarization" of the South China Sea.

"The deployment of defense facilities on China's own territory is no different from what U.S. does in Hawaii. The U.S., which has sent military vessels and planes to areas in the South China Sea to conduct close-in reconnaissance, is the source of tension and militarization of the South China Sea. We hope the United States will stop stirring up the South China Sea issue and provoking a tense atmosphere."

On the Taiwan issue, Hua Chunying said the U.S. shouldn't send the wrong message to "Taiwan independence" forces and should support the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations through concrete actions.

Meanwhile, Hua Chunying reiterated China's support for new UN resolutions on North Korea while urging joint efforts to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.

"We support the UN Security Council in passing new and effective resolutions on North Korea and call on all parties to refrain from actions that may heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Going forward, all parties should work as one to bring the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue back to the track of dialogue and negotiations, promote denuclearization in tandem with transition from armistice to peace on the Korean Peninsula and realize enduring peace and security on the Peninsula."

Professor Zhu Feng from Nanjing University says Foreign Minister Wang Yi's U.S. visit is a great opportunity for the two sides to promote dialogue.

"The United States and China are the world's two leading economies. They play very special roles in the world economy as well as peace and security. This also means that we can't agree on every issue and there will be conflicts. Neither China nor the U.S. wants to turn geopolitical competition into sources of tension. With that in mind, it's fair to say that the two sides can still manage their differences."

It's also expected that the two sides will use the trip to plan and arrange a timetable of talks between high-level officials for the year ahead.

Author： 　　　Source：CRI　　　 Editor：Yang Fan