China Demands Sincerity and More from U.S. Ahead of Upcoming Summit

With the U.S.-China summit expected to occur in San Francisco next week, a Chinese state-run media outlet has published an editorial urging the U.S. to show more sincerity.

On the 9th, the Global Times (GT), a Chinese state-run newspaper, highlighted that “International public opinion is paying attention to the fact that a summit is being held at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),” adding that “To realize this, more sincerity and practical action are needed from the U.S. side.”

The GT pointed to the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s statement the day before, which noted that the summit was not a “normal voyage” to San Francisco and couldn’t be left on autopilot. This, the paper explained, underscored the potential uncertainties of the meeting.

The article further emphasized that “China has already made it clear that both sides need to seriously return to what was agreed upon in Bali, overcome confusion and obstacles, expand mutual understanding, and accumulate achievements.” It added, “From this perspective, China is not satisfied with the results presented by the U.S.” The piece also claimed that “dark forces” in the U.S. disrupt bilateral relations and become active in crises. “This is a major uncertainty facing U.S.-China relations, and the U.S. side needs to eliminate it,” the article argued.

The GT also suggested that high-level communication between China and the U.S. is being exploited as a gesture to show off to the world the U.S. and that it may lack sincerity. The paper stated, “We hope that the U.S. will demonstrate political wisdom and courage to prevent U.S.-China relations from being damaged by a small number of extremist voices and adopt a truly responsible strategy towards China.”

The article also criticized the “decoupling” and “small but high fences,” pointing out that tariffs imposed on China by former President Donald Trump are still in place. It reiterated that “the U.S. needs to show more sincerity.” It added, “A convincing explanation for not understanding what the two leaders agreed upon, and a clearer attitude towards the ‘core interests’ that China has repeatedly emphasized, should be made to create conditions for future talks between the two countries.”

Meanwhile, the U.S. and China agreed in principle last month to hold a bilateral summit at the APEC leaders’ meeting scheduled for November 11-17 after a meeting of foreign ministers in Washington, D.C. The details of the schedule are currently being coordinated. However, China has not publicly mentioned whether President Xi will visit the U.S. Nevertheless, it emphasizes the importance of cooperation with the U.S. and is increasing exchanges through continued high-level contacts, including meetings of finance ministers.

By. Kim Hyun Jung