CHINA has emphasised that open dialogue with the United States is vital to prevent potentially catastrophic miscalculations, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi warning that inaction could escalate tensions into confrontation and harm the wider world.
Speaking on the sidelines of China’s annual parliamentary session, Wang highlighted the importance of diplomacy ahead of a long-anticipated summit between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, expected later this month.
“Failure to engage between the two nations would only lead to misunderstandings and misjudgements, escalating toward confrontation and harming the world,” Reuter cited Wang telling reporters today, without providing further details about the agenda.
“The agenda for high-level exchanges (with the U.S.) is on the table. What is required is for both sides to make thorough preparations to create a conducive environment to manage existing differences.”
Analysts are closely monitoring Trump’s international actions, which they say challenge Beijing’s strategic positioning.
The U.S. president has authorised military operations in Iran, resulting in the deaths of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and over 1,300 others, according to Tehran, while also sanctioning efforts to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Wang called for an immediate halt to hostilities in Iran, emphasising that “the war should not have happened and the use of force is not a way to resolve issues.”
He reiterated Beijing’s longstanding concerns but refrained from commenting on reports that Iran was negotiating to acquire supersonic anti-ship missiles from China.
Observers note that Trump’s pursuit of a “Donroe Doctrine” – a modern rebranding of a historical U.S. policy asserting regional dominance in the Americas – clashes with Xi’s decades-long Belt and Road and Global Security initiatives, which are central to China’s international strategy and the president’s personal political investment. Trump has also threatened military action against Colombia and Mexico and suggested that Cuba’s communist government may collapse without intervention, raising questions about China’s capacity to safeguard its allies in Latin America.
China’s foreign policy, analysts say, is under unprecedented scrutiny. Yasser Nasser, a historian at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, remarked: “In some senses it is existential in that it reveals that Chinese economic commitments or arms deals do not translate to directly confronting the U.S. or preventing interventions as, for example, it did during the Vietnam War.”
Wang appeared to critique the notion of carving out spheres of influence, an implicit reference to U.S. policy.
“If China, like some traditional major powers, was keen on carving out spheres of influence in its neighbourhood, stoking bloc confrontation, or even shifting problems onto its neighbours, would Asia still be as stable as it is today?” he asked.
While China has demonstrated greater assertiveness in its regional neighbourhood – including military exercises near Taiwan, diplomatic tensions with Japan over the island, and repeated confrontations with Philippine vessels in the South China Sea – Wang sought to frame Beijing’s approach as principled and stabilising.
“A hard fist is not the same as a hard reason,” he said. “The world cannot return to the law of the jungle. Resorting to force at every turn does not prove one's might.”
The remarks underline Beijing’s dual strategy of demonstrating regional strength while advocating dialogue with the U.S., signalling China’s intention to navigate heightened global tensions with a combination of economic influence and diplomatic engagement. - March 8, 2026
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