On November 21, 2019, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with former Defense Secretary William Cohen of the United States (US) in Beijing.

Wang Yi said, the most precious and important lesson of the past 40 years of China-US exchanges is that China and the US gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. China-US relations are once again at a crossroads at present. Some US political forces are trying their best to smear and slander China and poison the atmosphere of our relations. The US Senate introduced multiple acts of gross interference in China's domestic affairs, which violate basic norms governing international relations. Such behaviors not only cause serious impact and disturbance to the development of China-US relations, but also are not conducive to safeguarding world peace and stability. As China and the US differ in social system, history, culture and stage of development, it is only natural that there will be differences. But we can pursue peaceful coexistence and benign competition on the basis of adherence to international law and basic norms governing international relations, and find a way for major countries to get along. Any attempt to challenge China's system and development path is doomed to fail and will lead nowhere. The US should view the historical process of modernization of China's 1.4 billion people in an objective and positive manner. Deliberately creating rivals only effectuates a self-fulfilling prophecy. The US side should meet the Chinese side halfway to jointly advance China-US relations based on coordination, cooperation and stability. This serves the interests of both sides and is also the common expectation of the international community.

William Cohen said, US-China relations are now in a difficult period, with some contradictions and conflicts between the two sides. I do not think a trade war is a good idea. Sound trade and diplomatic relations require more predictable and sustainable policies. All sectors of the US hope to maintain contacts and exchanges with the Chinese side, rather than "decoupling" from the Chinese side. It is crucial to the prospects for peace, security and prosperity of the two countries and the world at large.