QUITO, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's willingness to keep the door open to dialogue with the United States to address differences and mitigate tensions between the two powers should be lauded, Ecuador's former Foreign Minister Francisco Carrion has said.
"I applaud the Chinese position of being open to dialogue and finding a way out of the differences between the two countries," Carrion told Xinhua recently.
"China is a sufficiently skilled country, and above all patient, and knows how to handle things with great prudence and composure," he added.
Carrion said he agreed with top Chinese official Yang Jiechi who recently underscored the importance of maintaining respectful and productive bilateral China-U.S. ties.
Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, in a signed article published on Aug. 7 called on both sides to develop a bilateral relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, so as to bring China-U.S. relations back onto the right track.
"They must seek dialogue, especially between two great world powers, respecting their fundamental interests," said Carrion.
However, he acknowledged that the current political climate in the United States might make that difficult as the November presidential elections draw near.
Seeking reelection, U.S. President Donald Trump will probably "use that tension with China, which he sees as a rival of the United States, to score electoral points," said Carrion.
The former diplomat, who had also served as Ecuador's ambassador to the United States, noted that it is very common for candidates to appeal to nationalism as a way to sway voters and seek an adversary to foment that feeling.
As part of that strategy, the White House has adopted a more antagonistic attitude towards China and interfered in China's domestic affairs, including Hong Kong.
Carrion said the U.S. inteference would be "in the end unnecessary and useless because the situation in Hong Kong is up to China to resolve, not the United States."
Some U.S. politicians seek to tarnish China's image, he said.
"I believe there are sectors in the United States that are very concerned about China's growth and competitiveness in various fields," said the diplomat.
The two countries are unlikely to have greater confrontation since "for purely economic reasons, it is not convenient for them to enter into a dangerous escalation," said Carrion.
China has a huge presence in the U.S. market as well as investment, as does the United States in China, which proves there are "very deep trade ties" between the two, he noted.
It is necessary to stabilize ties for the wellbeing of both countries and the rest of the world, he stressed. Enditem
