CHINESE State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the State Department in Washington, with both sides highlighting their commitments to promoting bilateral ties.

The two sides held in-depth discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern during Wang’s stopover in Washington D.C. on his way back from Argentina.

Given an increasingly complicated international situation, it is important for China and the United States to maintain a healthy and stable bilateral relationship, Wang said.

The two sides should implement the consensus reached by the two presidents and continue to hold their various bilateral dialogues in order to move ties forward, Wang said.

Secondly, the two nations should expand win-win cooperation in various areas, Wang said.

China-U.S. economic and trade ties should benefit both nations, said Wang, adding that any agreement reached should be put into action as soon as possible, something to which Pompeo agreed.

The two sides should work to solve their trade imbalance, open their markets further to each other and protect intellectual property rights, Wang added.

Thirdly, the two nations should properly settle their differences and remove obstacles that could stifle relations, Wang said.

He expects the United States to meet China half-way, saying both countries should respect each other’s interests and solve their differences in a constructive way.

Last but not the least, the two sides should expand their cooperation on global issues such as the Korean Peninsula and Afghanistan. 

(Xinhua)