Ambassador Qin Gang's interview with US mainstream media

David Ignatius (The Washington Post): Mr. Ambassador, I'd like to ask you about strategic stability between the United States and China. You spoke in Aspen, I remember, about the importance of stability between the two countries. President Biden, last November in his phone call with President Xi, proposed that there be talks about strategic stability between these two nuclear powers. But so far as I know, those talks have not proceeded to any meaningful level despite your comments in Aspen and other Chinese comments. So a question at a time when the tensions between the US and China are so obviously high and dangerous over Taiwan: Is China ready for these conversations? And do you expect that President Xi and President Biden may meet together this year for discussion of this and other issues?

Ambassador Qin Gang: First of all, on the possible summit between the Presidents, I have no idea at the moment. I have no information to share with you on this. And on strategic stability, of course China values a stable relationship with the US, and we also believe that as members of P5, China and the United States share common responsibility for world peace and stability. We want to have communication and dialogue with the US side on this. But our understanding of strategic stability is not only about the military. It's not only on military terms. Actually it's about political foundation. It's like a house. For this house to be firm and stable, we need a solid foundation. The same theory applies to state-to-state relations. So what is the foundation of China-US relations? That is the one-China principle. That is the stipulations of the three joint communiques. We cannot talk about strategic stability without paying attention to the political foundation of our bilateral relations. If the political foundation, particularly the one-China principle is eroded, undermined, the whole building of China-US relations will be shaken, and it's not good for our two countries and not good for the world.

Paul Beckett (The Wall Street Journal): (inaudible) Some cooperation between the two countries has suspended after Pelosi's visit, such as on climate. What do you want to see the United States do to resume cooperation?

Ambassador Qin Gang: About climate change?

Paul Beckett: Any of the places that are frozen, what do you want to see for change?

Ambassador Qin Gang: We are taking countermeasures. They shouldn't be surprised. Because before the visit, we warned the US side time and again that if she goes, it will have serious consequences on our exchanges and cooperation between our two countries. So it happened. And we mean what we say. We suspended dialogue, communication and cooperation on some subjects, in some areas, including climate. Now the US said that, by suspending the climate dialogue, China is punishing the world. but the question is, does the United States represent the world?

Paul Beckett: But what do you want to see in order to resume?

Ambassador Qin Gang: To resume, I want to see the United States at the moment to think about its own behavior on Taiwan, to reflect on what the true one-China principle is, and to refrain from doing anything more to escalate the tension, because there are some worries around these days in China that the US will take more actions, politically, militarily. If they happen, it will cause a new round of tensions and China will be forced to react.

Paul Beckett: How do you view the subsequent congressional delegation?

Ambassador Qin Gang: We object to it from the very beginning. Over the past decades, China has opposed congressional visits to Taiwan, because we believe that they are in violation of the one-China principle and the three joint communiques. They violate the commitment of the United States of not developing official relations with Taiwan. Congress is part of the government of the US. It's not an independent, uncontrollable branch. It's obliged to abide by the foreign policy of the United States. So that's why we object to and are very dissatisfied with Senator Markey's visit to Taiwan. It's provocative and unhelpful.