Beijing:

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that despite some progress since President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping met in November, the United States still persists in its misperceptions about China and has yet to fulfill its “promises.”

Wang Yi told a news conference on the sidelines of the annual National People’s Congress in Beijing that exchanges between the two countries can only continue if both sides respect and acknowledge their differences.

“It must be pointed out that the U.S.’s misperception of China continues, and its commitments have not been truly fulfilled,” Wang Yi told the National People’s Congress.

He said: “The means to suppress China are constantly being updated, and the list of unilateral sanctions is constantly being extended.”

Wang said the U.S.’s desire to add to the list of “crimes” committed by China “has reached an unbelievable degree.”

Wang said Biden remains clear that the United States will not seek a new Cold War, nor seek to change China’s system or support Taiwan’s independence.

Wang struck a relatively cautious tone during the annual wide-ranging discussion, which also discussed relations with Russia, the conflict in Ukraine, Europe, China’s struggling economy and artificial intelligence.

Wang said China will submit a draft resolution on artificial intelligence to the United Nations General Assembly, reflecting the dual needs of development and security.

“AI should always be under human control,” he said.

relief of uneasiness

Tensions between the two superpowers have eased slightly since Biden and Xi held their landmark summit in San Francisco last November, but remain in an uneasy state of detente ahead of this year’s U.S. election, when Republican China hawk Donald Trump may return to the White House.

Washington has repeatedly said it wants to lay the groundwork for ties after they plunged to their worst levels in decades last year over issues including Taiwan, technology competition, trade and the downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the U.S. east coast.

China claims the United States is trying to contain and suppress its high-tech development and industrial policies, while the two militaries keep a close eye on each other as they increase deployments in East Asia.

“Therefore, we urge the United States to recognize the historical development trend, view China’s development objectively and rationally, and interact with China actively and pragmatically.”

Beijing also faces ongoing geopolitical rivalries on multiple fronts, including trade with Europe and the war in Ukraine, various issues with Japan and a confrontation with the Philippines over the South China Sea, a hotbed of regional territorial claims.

Wang Yi said that China is willing to work with Russia to cultivate new momentum for cooperation and consolidate friendship.

In February 2022, Putin visited Beijing, days after he sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine, triggering Europe’s worst ground war since World War II. China and Russia announced an “unrestricted” partnership.

Wang Yi also announced the expansion of visa-free travel, saying that starting from March 14, China will provide visa-free travel to citizens of Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg.

China currently has mutual visa exemption agreements with 22 countries, including most recently Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

China also unilaterally allows citizens of Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Italy to enter the country without a visa for 15 days. The five European countries have not yet made similar arrangements for Chinese citizens.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)