China cautions US not to cross its “red lines”

As the senior diplomats from China and the US convened in Beijing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned Blinken not to cross China’s “red lines.”

Addressing the group, Mr. Wang asked, “Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral?” It sounded more like a warning than a question.

Although the US-China relationship is starting to stabilize, he noted that “negative factors” are still putting it to the test.

On Friday afternoon, Mr. Blinken, who is visiting China for the second time in less than a year, will meet with President Xi Jinping of China to conclude his tour.

Shortly before it was scheduled to take place, Mr. Blinken and President Xi announced their meeting.

Mr. Wang had issued a warning earlier on Friday, stating that there was a chance for both nations to “slide into conflict” or cooperate.

He urged the US not to cross what he described as China’s red lines regarding its development, security, and sovereignty.

“Negative factors in the [US-China] relationship [are] still increasing and building, and the relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions,” Mr Wang said.

“China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges,” he said.

Although Mr. Wang did not name these difficulties, there are a number of delicate issues of contention between the two countries, including as their stances on the South China Sea, US backing for the Taiwanese government, and human rights.

In front of the media, Mr. Blinken spoke to Mr. Wang in a more reserved manner.

He stated that “active diplomacy” is a joint obligation between Beijing and Washington to advance relations.

However, he pledged to be forthright and honest about the distinctions between their nations in order to prevent misunderstandings in what he referred to as the most important relationship in the world.

A few of these distinctions were brought to light earlier this week when Taiwan received military support as part of Washington’s most recent aid package. Beijing harshly criticized this, describing it as a “serious violation of the one-China principle”.

Though the island believes it is separate, Beijing eventually plans to take control of Taiwan, which is a self-governing province.

Additionally, Mr. Blinken’s visit occurs just a few days after a US law was passed requiring Chinese-owned TikTok to either sell the immensely popular video app or face prohibition in the US.

Beneath the scenes, the United States has been threatening sanctions on Beijing unless it stops sending parts to Russia that it claims enable Moscow to manufacture weapons for its conflict in Ukraine.

However, following a period of extreme stress last year, there has been a noticeable uptick in communication and diplomacy between these opposing powers, even during this visit. The goal is to bring ties back to normal.

In a conversation earlier this month, Mr. Xi and US President Joe Biden talked about areas of collaboration, such as the fight against drugs and climate change.

However, they disagreed over trade limits on technology and US support for Taiwan. (BBC)

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