BEIJING, Jan. 28 -- The mil-to-mil relations between China and the US have come to a new starting point, and China hopes the new US administration will work with the Chinese side to promote the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND), at a regular press conference on Thursday, when asked to comment on China-US mil-to-mil relationship during the Trump administration and the future development of bilateral military relations during the Biden administration.
Snr. Col. Wu said that during the Trump administration, the China-US relationship encountered serious difficulties, and the mil-to-mil relations also faced a lot of risks and challenges. "Facts have proved that to contain China is a mission impossible and will only end up shooting oneself in the foot," Wu said.
At present, the relations between China and the US and between their militaries have come to a new historical starting point. We hope the new US administration will work with the Chinese side, in the spirit of non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, to strengthen dialogue, focus on cooperation, and manage and control divergences to promote the healthy and steady development of bilateral ties, Wu stressed.
Wu mentioned that from January 26 to 27, the two militaries held a video-based work meeting on searching for the remains of American war captives and missing persons. Both sides exchanged in-depth views on cases concerned by the US side and the mil-to-mil cooperation. This fully reflected that China attached great importance to the US side's concerns in the humanitarian field.
China hopes the US side will work with China towards the same goal with the same professionalism, properly address China's concerns in the fields of mil-to-mil relations, intensify communication, manage and control risks, avoid crisis, and push the US-China mil-to-mil relations forward along the right track, said Wu.