Former diplomat warns against relying on 'lying flat' amidst China-US tensions

China and the United States should not pin their hope on "lying flat" to automatically avoid conflicts or confrontations, even though both sides are clear that the confrontations between them are absolutely disastrous to the world, Beijing's former top diplomat in Washington warned on Sunday.

Cui Tiankai, the former Chinese ambassador to the US, made the remarks in a seminar under the 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum which kicked off on Sunday.

"Lying flat", is an Internet buzzword which has gone viral on Chinese social media this year, referring to the attitude of standing idle when facing constant social changes.

Cui said most people in China and the US are rationally aware of that such an attitude would bring disaster to the two countries and the world if there are conflicts and confrontations between China and the US.

"But this does not mean that we can automatically avoid conflict and confrontation in the state of doing nothing. It also requires joint efforts from both sides," he said.

"If we 'lie flat' and do nothing, the least desired thing is likely to happen," said Cui.

He highlighted that the cooperation between the two countries still exists and has been expanding in dealing with global challenges, such as climate change and the global pandemic while noting that "the existence of cooperation doesn't mean the differences would disappear naturally".

"Our keynote has always been to cooperate with each other, to find the right way to get along between our two countries, and then to find ways to deal with differences and solve problems within this framework," he said.

In Cui's eyes, the core of US' policy on China should be respecting China and accepting China's development in key aspects.

"The first point should be China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its national reunification, especially the Taiwan question," he said. "The second is China's own development path, system and culture."

"Third, can the US accept that China practices democracy and promotes human rights in a way that suits China's national conditions? Fourth, can the US accept China's pursuit of Chinese modernization?" he asked.

Therefore, no matter what the US says, the key is whether it can achieve mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation on the above fundamental aspects, said the veteran diplomat.