4th June 2023 – (Singapore) Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence, Li Shangfu, has called on China and the United States to properly handle their differences and find a way to get along. Speaking at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, Li emphasised that the China-U.S. relationship is crucial for global strategic stability and is the focus of global attention. He urged both nations to follow the trend of the times and live up to the expectations of countries around the world.
Li stated that a sound and stable China-U.S. relationship is what the international community is looking for and that any potential conflict or confrontation would be an unbearable disaster for the world. He called on major countries to resolve their differences through exchanges and cooperation, instead of provoking bloc confrontation for self-interests.
Despite different systems and other differences, Li noted that China and the United States should seek common ground and common interests to deepen their cooperation, as history has proven that both countries will benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. He further stated that China seeks to develop a new type of major-country relationship with the United States, and called on the U.S. to act with sincerity and take concrete actions to work together with China in the same direction to stabilise the China-U.S. relationship from deterioration.
Li acknowledged that the past few years have seen China-U.S. relations at a record low since the establishment of diplomatic ties. However, he believed that “the world is big enough for countries, including China and the U.S., to grow together.” He emphasized that the right way for China and the United States to get along is through mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.
Li called on the United States to work with China to navigate the bilateral relations back to the right track from the difficult situation, so as to deliver more benefits to both countries and the world as a whole.