China sees stability in its relationship with the US

According to Beijing, the relationship between China and the US has “stabilized” over the past year. After difficulties at the beginning of the year and “hard work,” the two sides have “restored communication and dialogue” and halted the deterioration of bilateral relations, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a speech in Beijing on Tuesday.

China and the US have clashed in recent years over key issues such as technology, trade and human rights, as well as tensions over Taiwan and competing claims in the South China Sea. In November, US President Joe Biden and China's president and party leader Xi Jinping met in San Francisco for talks that both sides later described as a victory.

China called on the United States to “change its misunderstanding of China and return to a rational and pragmatic China policy.” Biden assured Xi that the US would not support Taiwan independence.

Beijing views Taiwan, which has been outside Beijing's control since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland — with military force if necessary. Taiwan's presidential election will be held on Saturday. The election outcome is seen as crucial to the future relationship between Taipei and an increasingly aggressive Beijing and is therefore eagerly awaited internationally.