China is asking for normalization of relations with American partners
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian
China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday that it is imperative to stabilize Chino-American relations after a series of “erroneous words and deeds” pushed them back below the freezing point, Reuters reported on Monday. In a meeting in Beijing with US Ambassador Nicholas Burns, the Chinese official particularly emphasized that the United States must review its handling of the Taiwan issue and stop disregarding the “one China” principle. Relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorated last year when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an official visit to Taiwan, angering China, which considers democratically, governed Taiwan its own territory. In response, Beijing has restricted official channels of communication with the United States, including between the militaries. Tensions between the two superpowers eased in November when US and Chinese leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met at the G20 summit in Indonesia and pledged to talk more frequently.
“A series of erroneous words and actions by the United States subsequently undermined the hard-won positive momentum of China-US relations,” Qin told Burns, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement. “The dialogue and cooperation agenda agreed by the two sides has been disrupted, and the relations between the two countries are once again facing a freeze”, the statement also states. Tensions flared again in February when a Chinese high-altitude balloon appeared in US airspace, and in response, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a visit to Beijing. Last week, Blinken appeared to offer hope for a visit, telling the Washington Post that re-establishing regular lines of communication at all levels was important. Also last week, US climate chief John Kerry said Beijing had invited him to visit “in the near future” for talks on averting a global climate crisis, further raising hopes of a settlement in one of the most important relations between states in the world. “The priority is to stabilize Sino-American relations, avoid a downward spiral, and prevent any accidents between China and the United States,” Qin said. Taiwan remains the thorniest issue in Sino-American relations, as Reuters mentions. Last month, China held military exercises near Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. Since 1979, the US-Taiwan relationship has been governed by the “Taiwan Relations Act” (TRA), which provides a legal basis for providing Taiwan with the means to defend itself but not a mandate for the US to come to Taiwan’s aid if it is attacked. As part of the 2023 budget, the US Congress authorized up to $1 billion in arms aid to Taiwan, using a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has also contributed to the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, Reuters explains.
By Paul Bumman
