China 'ready for dialogue with US at all levels'
Beijing is ready to hold talks with the United States at "all levels", Vice President Han Zheng said on Wednesday ahead of an expected summit in San Francisco between leaders Xi Jinping and Joe Biden next week. Speaking at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, Han said recent high-level meetings between Beijing and Washington were sending "positive signals" that relations were improving. "We're ready to strengthen communication and dialogue with the United States at all levels, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences and jointly address global challenges," Han said. Asked to confirm whether a meeting between Xi and Biden would go ahead in San Francisco, the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday reiterated that the two sides had agreed to meet. "At the same time, the road to San Francisco is not smooth, and we cannot be on autopilot," spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing. "Both sides must... truly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, eliminate interference and overcome obstacles, enhance consensus and accumulate results," he said, alluding to a meeting between Xi and Biden in Indonesia last year. "The world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together," Wang added. (AFP)