Xi to senators: US-China ties impact 'destiny of mankind'

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday told a delegation of top US lawmakers that relations between their respective countries would impact "the destiny of mankind."

"How China and the United States get along with each other in the face of a world of change and turmoil will determine the future and destiny of mankind," said the Chinese host.

Calling China-US ties "the most important bilateral relationship in the world," Xi emphasized, "I have said many times, including to several presidents, that we have 1,000 reasons to improve China-US relations, but not one reason to ruin them."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who led the six-person US delegation, agreed with Xi, saying: "Our countries, together, will shape this century. That is why we must manage our relationship responsibly and respectfully."

Schumer and his delegation, who are in Beijing to address various tension points in the relationship, met with Xi for 80 minutes, far exceeding the one hour scheduled.

Relations between Washington and Beijing have suffered greatly of late as a result of sanctions, spying accusations, and economic and geopolitical tensions. Schumer said the Senate delegation sought to redress some of these.

Managing China-US relations more rationally

Earlier Monday, the Senate delegation met with China's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who said, "I hope this visit will help the US view China in a more accurate and objective way and bring China-US relations back to the track of sound development."

Part of that process, said Wang, was to "manage existing differences more rationally," which he called more important than ever given that we are living through what he termed a "turbulent period of change."

"The crisis in Ukraine has not yet subsided, and warfare has re-emerged in the Middle East," said Wang. "All these various challenges need to be addressed by the international community, and China and the United States should play their due roles."

China's stance on both Ukraine, and now Israel, have irked Washington.

China has yet to wholeheartedly condemn Russia for its invasion of neighboring Ukraine, emphasizing instead the deep ties between Beijing and Moscow and giving tacit approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war of aggression.

Schumer was also "very disappointed" by Beijing's unwillingness to call out Hamas for its murderous weekend attack on Israel.

In a Sunday statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry simply called on both Hamas and Israel to commit to a cease-fire.

Beijing also repeated calls for the implementation of the so-called two-state solution as a basis for future peace.

Schumer, who is himself Jewish, found fault in Beijing's lack of condemnation for the terrorist group Hamas and its slaughter of Israeli civilians.

After his meetings with Wang and Xi, the US lawmaker said that sentiment had been "rectified."

"I'm gratified the Foreign Ministry issued a new statement that did condemn the loss of civilian life."

Schumer also made clear that many of those in his delegation had urged China to use its influence over Iran to keep Tehran from further fueling the conflict.

US 'not seeking conflict' says Schumer

Schumer was keen to point out that the US welcomed competition with China but was not seeking conflict.

Still, in meetings with Xi, Wang, and Zhao Leji — the head of China's rubber-stamp National People's Conference — Schumer said reciprocity was lacking in the relationship and underscored the need for a "level playing field" for American businesses operating in China.

"We want the Chinese people to have economic opportunity. That would be good for America," he said, before adding, "But China must also provide a level playing field for American companies and workers. Many Americans, most Americans including our delegation, do not believe we have that fairness now."

He also urged Beijing to clamp down on the export of chemical substances that China currently supplies to Mexico, where drug cartels use them to produce deadly fentanyl, which is ravaging the US.

Lastly, the delegation made a plea for the "advancement of human rights" with an eye to reported abuses of ethnic Uyghur at the hands of Chinese officials in the western Xinjiang region.

Speaking to reporters, Schumer said, "Both sides, the Chinese and us, said unless we have sincere conversations about our differences and not pull any punches, that we would never solve these problems."

Addressing a press conference after the meetings, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns called them a "step forward," saying, "I felt that the Chinese leadership prepared very carefully for these meetings. They were ready for these detailed discussions. There was a level of energy on both sides, and I think a commitment to extend those conversations."

Hopes for a Biden-Xi meeting in San Francisco this November

After years of sharp diplomatic deterioration stemming from disputes over subjects such as trade, the fate of Taiwan, human rights abuses and military influence over the Pacific, Schumer's is the latest in a series of high-level US delegations to travel to Beijing.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury and Commerce Secretaries Janet Yellen and Gina Raimondo, and climate envoy John Kerry have all visited China this year.

This week's delegation, the first Senate junket since 2019, included three Democrats and three Republicans.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden suggested he might meet his counterpart Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, California, this November, though Beijing declined to confirm whether Xi would attend when asked by reporters Monday.

Foreign Minister Wang is scheduled to travel to Washington before the summit. 

js/ab (AFP, AP, dpa)