China’s Qin Gang voices concerns in call with US’s Antony Blinken

The foreign minister says the US must “stop interfering” if it wants to restore tense ties between the two countries.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged the United States to stop meddling in its affairs and harming its security in a phone call with Antony Blinken, days before the US Secretary of State’s planned visit to Beijing.

Qin told Blinken to respect China’s “fundamental concerns” such as Taiwan, and to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition.” , according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Blinken stressed the need for communication “to avoid miscalculations and conflicts” and said the US would continue to raise areas of concern, as well as possible cooperation with China, the State Department said after the call.

If Blinken’s trip goes ahead, it will be the first visit to China by Washington’s top diplomat in five years and the highest-profile visit during the administration of US President Joe Biden, which has clashed with Beijing over issues ranging from Taiwan. up trade and spy balloons.

China’s foreign ministry has yet to release information about Blinken’s trip, but a US official said last Friday that Blinken would be in Beijing on June 18, without providing further details.

He was previously supposed to visit China in February, but the trip was canceled amid rising tension over alleged Chinese spy balloons discovered flying across the US and then shot down.

Since then, China has largely rebuffed US attempts at official exchanges, though Daniel Kritenbrink, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was in Beijing last week, the highest-ranking US official to visit China since the balloon incidents. The talks were said to be “sincere“.

Relations have also been affected by visits to Taiwan by US politicians since then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi traveled to the autonomous island in August last year. Pelosi’s visit prompted China, which claims the island as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goals, to hold large-scale military exercises around the island.

chinese too condemned an April meeting in California between current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.

Qin noted that China-U.S. ties “have faced new difficulties and challenges” since the beginning of the year, and the two sides have a responsibility to work together to properly handle differences, promote exchanges and cooperation, and stabilize relations. .