China hopes the U.S. will work with it to enable Asia-Pacific cooperation to return to the right direction, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said on Monday.

Wang made the remarks during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing.

He stated China's position on the U.S. advancement of the so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy," saying it is essentially about bringing major-country rivalry to and creating camp-based confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region.

U.S. actions have changed the status quo of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, undermined the way by which Asia-Pacific countries get along in harmony as neighbors, distorted the industrial and supply chains in the region, and weakened the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture, he said.

The United States has turned away from an open and inclusive regional policy, and is moving toward an exclusive and divisive one, he noted, adding it runs counter to the overarching trend toward prosperity and development in the Asia-Pacific.

Noting that hosting this year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is an important opportunity for the U.S. side to re-think and re-calibrate its Asia-Pacific policy, Wang said China is ready to work with the United States to explore a way for constructive interaction in the Asia-Pacific, and hopes that the U.S. will play its role as the host of APEC.

(Cover: Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing, China, June 19, 2023. /Chinese Foreign Ministry)