On the Future of China–US Relations, China's Foreign Minister Says Trust Must be Built

Beijing — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the future of China–US relations still requires mutual trust. “China’s stance has always been positive and open; the key is that the United States must also move in the same direction. I am confident that as long as both countries are sincere and build relations on trust, we can continue to extend the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems,” Wang Yi said in response to questions at a press conference on ‘China’s diplomacy and foreign policy’ in Beijing on Sunday. He was addressing questions about the possible agenda for talks during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to China, scheduled for 31 March to 2 April 2026. “2026, as Wang Yi put it, is indeed a ‘great year for China–US relations’ and a high-level meeting agenda is already on our table,” he added. Wang Yi acknowledged that China–US relations touch the interests of all parties and influence the world. “Both countries being unrelated to each other would only lead to misperceptions and misjudgments, whereas conflict and confrontation would bring disaster to the world,” he said. Both China and the United States, Wang Yi noted, are large nations, and it is not possible to change one another, but it is possible to change the way we treat each other. “The way forward is to uphold mutual respect, maintain peaceful coexistence, and pursue prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation. This aligns with the interests of the peoples of both countries and with the hopes of the international community,” he added. However, despite China and the United States having significant influence on the world, Wang Yi said there are more than 190 countries in the world. “World history is written together by all nations, and the future of humanity is created together by the people of all countries. Living together in diversity is the true face of humanity, and multipolar coexistence is the form that the international order should take,” Wang Yi added. Thus, whenever there is a scramble for hegemony among major powers and bloc confrontations, it always brings disaster and suffering to humanity. “Therefore, China will not at all follow the old path that assumes a powerful nation must dominate. China’s Constitution clearly states that the country must adhere to an independent and autonomous foreign policy, as well as the path of peaceful development,” Wang Yi asserted. China, he said, remains committed to the principle of building a multipolar world that is equal and orderly. “What is meant by equal is that regardless of size or strength, all are equal members of the international community, and all can find their position within the multipolar order and play the role appropriate to them, while order requires all states to abide by internationally recognised rules generally accepted, including the UN Charter and the norms of international relations,” Wang Yi explained. The last time Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump communicated was by telephone on 5 February 2026. Xi stressed at the time that the Taiwan issue is the most important in China–US relations, so the United States should handle arms sales to Taiwan prudently. The United States is known to have conducted arms sales and related equipment worth more than US$11 billion on 17 December 2025. In response, the Chinese government has issued a strong protest to the United States. Meanwhile, Trump said the United States wants to cooperate with China and make more progress in bilateral relations.