US envoys to visit China amid tensions
- Source: Global Times
- [02:58 March 01 2010]
- Comments
By Yu Miao
US Deputy Secretary of State James B. Steinberg will visit China this week, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saturday.
Steinberg and Jeffrey Bader, senior director for Asian affairs at the US National Security Council, will be in Beijing from tomorrow to Thursday in order to "exchange opinions with the Chinese side over matters related to Sino-US relations," spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement, adding that the US side proposed the visit and China accepted it.
The high-level visit comes amid recent tensions between the two countries following Washington's $6.4 billion arms sale plan to Taiwan and President Barack Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama, as well as alleged Chinese attacks on Google.
"Washington is responsible for all the damage to Sino-US ties done by the arms sales to Taiwan and the meeting with the Dalai Lama," Meng Xiangqing, a professor at the Strategy Research Center of the PLA National Defense University, told the Global Times.
"However, the US tries to ease China's anger with diplomatic efforts and to smooth the damage out. They are going for the maximum benefits: doing what they want while keeping China silent."
Shi Yinhong, director of the US Study Center at the Remin University of China, said that Steinberg and Bader's visit is unlikely to have significant effects in smoothing tensions.
"Their visit is a tiny step by the US in improving ties with China," Shi said. "They might bring up lots of excuses and explanations, but they cannot undo that damage to Sino-US ties. They might not even say sorry because this is neither the first time, nor the last, that Washington pulls out such an act as meeting the Dalai Lama."
"The focus now moves to trade disputes between the two countries, which are highlighted by a group of 15 US senators who slammed US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke on Thursday over his failure to "properly investigate charges that China deliberately undervalues the yuan," Shi added.
Also on Saturday, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said during an online chat with Internet users that 2010 would not be "an unpeaceful year" for trade and economic relations with the US.
He stressed that maintaining good relations would benefit both countries and urged the US to lift restrictions on US exporters selling hi-tech products to China.
"If the US loosens restrictions over the exports of some high-tech products to China the bilateral trade surplus will narrow," Wen said. "We hope Sino- US trade is balanced and sustainable. Our goal is to achieve a basic balance of international payments."
Wen also said that trade disputes between the two countries should be resolved through "equal negotiations" rather than sanctions.
The US has imposed duties on a number of Chinese imports, from tires and electric blankets to steel tubing and wire decking.
Agencies contributed to this story
