USA should decide
China rules out Taiwan compromises
06/19/2023, 09:33 am
Troubled relations between China and the US are at a low point. US Secretary of State Blinken wants to calm things down during his visit to the Far East. However, Beijing is drawing a red line on the Taiwan question.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on the second and final day of his visit to Beijing. Amid tensions between the two countries, China is demanding a clear line from the US on the Taiwan independence issue. From the Chinese side, however, there is “no leeway for compromises” with Taiwan, according to Wang. The United States must “adhere to the one-China principle, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and take a clear stand against ‘Taiwan independence’.”
According to state media, at the meeting with Blinken he also demanded that the United States have to decide “between cooperation and confrontation, between cooperation and conflict” in its relationship with China. The ailing relations between the two countries are currently at a low point. The reason for this is the wrong perception of the United States of China. “We must reverse the downward spiral in US-China relations,” the Chinese diplomat said.
Blinken drew a positive interim conclusion on Sunday after initial discussions. The Foreign Ministry spoke of an “open, substantial and constructive” exchange. It is the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China in five years. During the course of the day, Blinken wanted to meet with US company managers working in China, for example from the automotive industry. It remains unclear whether he will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Relations between the world’s two largest economies are strained due to political and economic friction. The trip was planned for February, but was postponed because of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over US airspace. The meeting is also being followed with excitement in Germany. China’s Premier Li Qiang is meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday evening ahead of intergovernmental consultations between the two countries in Berlin on Tuesday.