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THREAD.

Former Australian Prime Minister @MrKRudd interviewing China's Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi for @AsiaSociety.

Rudd is making opening remarks in Mandarin.

 Rudd (returning to English): It gives me no pleasure that the current state of the US-China relationship is 'probably the worst that we've seen in the nearly half a century.'
Rudd: The key challenge for the future is what we will do for the extraordinary decade of the 2020s which lies ahead

1. Sees China work within the framework of rules-based order that we've been developing together.
Rudd:

2. World adjusts and becomes more accommodating of China's values and interests and Chinese leadership becomes more apparent.
Rudd:

3. International machinery works better to preserve open systems.

Rudd disagrees with 4th that we are destined for war.
Rudd: It would be remiss of me not to mention the impact of US-China relations on third countries... like Australia which finds itself very much in the firing line.

'How do we take the temp down?'
FM Wang Yi now being introduced. "You are a welcome guest here at the Asia Society."

Wang: Rudd - you are a household name in China, a famous international advocate and you have made an important contribution to friendship between China and Australia. (This through translator)
Wang praising @asiasociety: As long as we engage in face-to-face discussions we can reach a lot of consensus on wide-ranging issues.

'There are no insurmountable difficulties or obstacles between us.'
Wang: 'China-US relations have spiralled down to the lowest level since the establishment of diplomatic ties 41 years ago.

This is not something that we would like to see.'
Wang: 'In retrospect, 2020 might have witnessed the greatest damage to the international order and international relations.'
Wang: 'Global industrial supply chains are on the cusp of breakdown.'

'The go-it-alone approach has fractured and crippled the international system.'

'And we see McCarthyism resurging and jeopardising normal international exchanges.'
Wang claims ideology (against China) is disrupting or even severing normal international engagement 'aimed at starting a new Cold War and forming a new iron curtain.'
Wang says he knows those watching follow China's diplomacy and style closely.

(A reference to Wolf-Warrior diplomacy)

'China follows an independent foreign policy of peace.'
Wang: 'China has no intention to compete for hegemony. We never interfere in others internal affairs. We don't export our system or model, not in the least do we seek spheres of influence.'
Wang: China's diplomacy is for the development of the nation. We are proud of eliminating extreme poverty in China for the very first time.
Wang: The first priority of China's diplomacy is to serve the sustainable development of the nation.

It is not our philosophy to play a zero-sum game and be the winner that takes all.
Wang: 'We will further open up, only broader, deeper and with higher standards.'

'China's diplomacy is for equity, having experienced great humiliation in history, China understands how important equity is.'
Wang: 'We believe that countries, irrespective of their size and strength, are all equal members of the international community. The big and strong much not bully the small and weak.'
Wang: 'We believe that all countries enjoy equal rights to development.'
Wang: 'We often see senior US officials pointing fingers at China. And there is no evidence to support their accusations. They are merely irresponsible presumptions of guilt and emotional lashing out.' Paging @SecPompeo ...
Wang: Some US politicians have strategic miscalculations ... and insist that China is a main threat.

'China is not a threat to the US.'
Wang says attacks on the Commuist Party of China 'is an attack on the 1.4 billion Chinese people.'
Wang addressing the building of Western coalitions against China.

'The overwhelming majority of them [nations] do not want to take sides [and risk] being forced into a confrontation.'
Wang: 'It is important that the United States policy toward China return to objective and sensibility as early as possible.'
Wang: We have always believed there is a deeply intertwined interest between the two countries 'neither can do without the other, remodel the other or replace the other.'
Wang: 'I believe we all agree that the time hs come to decide the future course...as President Xi wrote in his congratulatory message to President-elect Joe Biden, it is hoped that the two sides work together in the spirit of no conflict, no complication, mutual respect.'
Wang says Covid response, economic recovery and climate change present three areas for cooperation with the new Biden Administration.
Wang: China has provided over 40 billion facemasks to the US. That is on average, every American citizen gets over 100 face masks in China.
Wang now suggesting that China BOOST its supply of critical health supplies, including relating to vaccines as part of that cooperation.
Wang says China will meet it's Paris Agreement climate change obligations.

'China and the US can come together again to facilitate international cooperation on climate change,' he says, noting Biden's intention to reinclude the US in the agreement.
Wang: 'The goal of China - US engagement is not to mould the other in one's own image.'

'If the US-China policy were to remodel or subvert China it would not be achievable it would be Mission Impossible.'
Wang: 'On issues concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity...' GAH feed momentarily cuts.
Wang: 'Some politicians have fabricated too much false information about Xinjiang and Tibet.'

'We shall not allow the law of the jungle to govern our world again.'
Wang: 'At the same time, for our foreign friends who truly care about China and wish to know more about Xinjiang and Tibet and other parts of China we are always ready to share with them the facts.'
Wang is now inviting all those watching to visit Xinjiang and Tibet to see the ethnic harmony for themselves.

Hooray - Looking forward to Australian journalists being granted visas and unmonitored access to China!
Wang now addressing US-China trade. 'We urged the US side to stop overstretching the notion of national security, stop the arbitrary suppression of Chinese companies.'

#Huawei
Wang says recent US sanctions against Chinese companies are 'unacceptable.'

On the South China Sea - there has never been a single instance where normal navigation or overflight has been impeded.
Wang says China will speed up consultations with ASEAN countries toward a code a conduct for the South China Sea.
Speech ends.

Rudd: It would be a wonderful thing if the vaccine could be treated not as an issue of geo politics but as an issue of global common good.
Rudd says South China Sea will be the hardest issue to resolve because the perception gap is so great.
Rudd says both China and the US will need to change some of their policies if they are to have a 'common future.'

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Let's assess these generally. Exceptions apply.

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