China and the United States reached agreements on five fronts during U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing.

At a press briefing on Monday night, after Blinken wrapped up his two-day visit, Yang Tao, director-general of the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, summarized these agreements:

First, both sides have agreed to jointly implement the important common understandings reached by the two presidents in Bali, Indonesia, effectively manage differences, and advance dialogue, exchanges and cooperation.

Second, both sides have agreed to maintain high-level interactions. Blinken invited Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang to visit the U.S., and Qin expressed his readiness to make the visit at a mutually convenient time.

Third, both sides have agreed to keep moving forward consultations on the guiding principles of China-U.S. relations.

Fourth, both sides have agreed to continue advancing consultations through the joint working group to address specific issues in the relations.

Fifth, both sides have agreed to encourage more people-to-people and educational exchanges, and had positive discussions on increasing passenger flights between the two countries. Both sides welcomed more mutual visits by students, scholars and business people, and agreed to provide support and facilitation to this end.

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U.S. tampers with its political commitment on Taiwan question

Yang also blasted the U.S. for tampering with the political commitment it has made to China on the Taiwan question during the press briefing.

By linking the peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question with its "one-China policy" and taking it as a core element of the policy, the U.S. is not honoring its commitment, he noted.

"That is not the reaffirmation of or adherence to the U.S. political commitment to China, but a tampering with it," Yang said.

Noting that the Taiwan question has always been the most important issue in China-U.S. relations, he said the U.S. has made a clear commitment to one China.

It acknowledges that there is but one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China, and it recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, Yang pointed out.

These commitments are clearly stated in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, he said. That means that the U.S. side recognizes the real status quo in the Taiwan Straits – there is only one China in the world and that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to the same China, which the U.S. calls its "one-China policy," he said.

Yang continued to say the U.S. unilaterally added the so-called Taiwan Relations Act and "Six Assurances."

"These are not agreements between China and the U.S., and China has, from the very beginning, resolutely opposed and rejected them," he added.

On South China Sea issue

In terms of the South China Sea issue, Yang made it clear that the U.S. is not a party in the territorial concerns of the South China Sea issue, and China's claims on the issue are based on solid historical and legal foundations.

He pointed out that freedom of navigation and overflight has never encountered any problem, but it is the U.S. warships and aircraft under the guise of "freedom of navigation" that staged provocative acts against China, increasing risks in air and sea security.

If the U.S. side really cares about the stability of the South China Sea and wants to avoid accidents, it should stop its close-in reconnaissance on China, said Yang.

China never rejects communication

China never rejects communication, but the key is how to communicate and whether it can achieve desired results, Yang told reporters.

Communication does not mean only seeking one's own concerns while ignoring the concerns of the other, and no party should say one thing but do another, the Chinese diplomat said.

Yang stressed China is willing to conduct constructive communication and dialogue in the spirit of mutual respect while urging the U.S. side to show sincerity and take action.

Stabilizing China-U.S. relations requires both China and the U.S. to work together and meet each other halfway, Yang added.

Rejecting 'de-risking'

Responding to Washington's so-called de-risking and decoupling rhetoric, Yang said China is injecting stability, certainty and positive energy into the world, so it cannot be a risk.

He believes the nature of the U.S.'s attempts at de-risking and decoupling are in reality attempts at "de-sinicization." 

Yang warned that if the U.S. is simply repackaging "de-risking" and "decoupling" from China, such a policy is "turning away from opportunity, cooperation, stability, and development."

China and the United States should work together for the well-being of humanity, lead global cooperation, and address global risks, he added.

U.S. should lift sanctions first

On bilateral military ties, Yang mentioned that the U.S. side should be very clear about the reasons for the current difficulties facing the China-U.S. military relationship, including the U.S.'s unilateral sanctions against China.

To move forward bilateral military exchanges and cooperation, the U.S. needs to remove obstacles first, Yang told reporters.