China calls for ‘peaceful coexistence’ with the U.S. despite differences

China calls for ‘peaceful coexistence’ with the U.S. despite differences


Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi speaks during the 2023 Munich Security Conference in Germany on February 18, 2023.

Johannes Simon | Getty Images News | Getty Images

BEIJING — China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi struck a more conciliatory tone on U.S. relations during a high-profile press conference on Friday, in contrast to the ministry’s more aggressive language earlier in the week.

While Wang said the U.S. should not impose “arbitrary tariffs” or return goodwill with hostility, he emphasized that the two countries would both be part of the world for a long time, requiring “peaceful coexistence.”

“Given the extensive common interests and broad space for cooperation, it is fully possible for China and the U.S. to become partners helping each other succeed,” Wang said in Mandarin, via an official translation.

He spent much of the roughly 90-minute press conference talking about China’s efforts to improve relations with other countries and supporting the interests of non-Western nations.

Wang is also director of the office for foreign affairs within the Communist Party of China’s central commission, making him the country’s most senior diplomat. He was speaking to reporters during China’s annual parliamentary meeting, known as the “Two Sessions.”

His comments came shortly after China hit back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s mounting trade tariffs.

“If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. said in a post Wednesday on X.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated in the last several days. Trump earlier this week imposed yet another 10% of tariffs on Chinese goods, to which Beijing retaliated with targeted duties on U.S. agricultural products and restrictions on several U.S. companies.

Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao indicated to reporters Thursday that Beijing was willing to meet with the U.S. for talks on trade.

Russia-Ukraine war

Wang maintained on Friday that Beijing wants to play a constructive role in achieving “lasting peace” in the Russia-Ukraine war, while stating that China’s friendship with Moscow would not change.

Wang also advocated for a two-state solution around Gaza and said the current situation only marked halfway progress toward such a resolution.

In a proposed budget released this week for government spending this year, Beijing plans to increase spending on diplomatic endeavors by 8.4% versus a 6.6% increase last year.



Source

Meta shares hit all-time high as Mark Zuckerberg goes on AI hiring blitz
World

Meta shares hit all-time high as Mark Zuckerberg goes on AI hiring blitz

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during the Meta Connect event on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Meta shares hit a record high on Monday, underscoring investor interest in the company’s new AI superintelligence group. The company’s shares reached $747.90 during midday trading, topping Meta’s previous stock […]

Read More
Analyst Dan Ives says it will be the summer of  trillion market caps for surging tech giants
World

Analyst Dan Ives says it will be the summer of $4 trillion market caps for surging tech giants

Nvidia and Microsoft will be the first to join the exclusive $4 trillion market cap club as the appetite for artificial intelligence skyrockets, according to Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities global head of technology research. The two stocks have had an incredible bounce back this quarter after a rough start to the year, as fears around […]

Read More
Jim Cramer says his second-half playbook for investors is quite simple
World

Jim Cramer says his second-half playbook for investors is quite simple

Jim Cramer’s second-half playbook for investors is all about getting back to the basics. On CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” Cramer had a straightforward response when asked where investors should put their focus in the coming months. Choose stocks in companies that are “doing well,” he said Monday, shortly before the opening bell, as the […]

Read More