China Calls For Collaboration With US And Other Countries

The Chinese central government officials extend an olive branch, calling for collaborated efforts with the other countries due to rising global uncertainties from the coronavirus pandemic and protectionism, CNBC reports.

The comments were made in a high-level press conference on Friday after top Chinese leaders concluded a policy meeting centered around China's economic goals and social priorities over the next five years.

What Happened: Based on CNBC's report, the Chinese officials attending the event were not in favor of severing ties between the two economies.

Han Wenxiu, Deputy Director at the Office of the Central Commission For Financial and Economic Affairs, said that "Decoupling is basically not realistic, and there's no benefit for China or the U.S. or the entire world.".

Han also stated that people seeking collaboration outweigh the ones wanting a decoupling.

Notably, the meeting emphasized China's "self-reliance" in technology as a national development strategy -- CNBC.

Story So Far:  Name-calling incidents between China and the U.S. have grown since the pandemic.

In August, White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien claimed that Chinese government-linked hackers have been targeting U.S. election infrastructure ahead of the 2020 Presidential elections -- Reuters. 

In July, the Department of Justice charged two Chinese hackers who were allegedly stealing crucial vaccine research. The Justice Department also linked the Chinese Ministry of State Security to this incident.

In March, Forbes reported a similar story where a group of prominent Chinese-Americans called for the U.S. and China to work together.

Forbes cited an article in the Foreign Affairs journal, which spoke about the distrust between two economies inviting conspiracy theories, undermining the effort to contain the pandemic.

Why Does It Matter: Since 2018, the Trump administration has held a firm stand against the People's Republic of China.

The administration put export restrictions on the 5G technology due to which telecom company Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd suffered the most.

Both countries have been locked in trade tensions, with each government levying tariffs on goods worth hundreds of billions of dollars.