China – USA: Wang Warns Blinken Against Crossing Red Lines of China’s Sovereignty and Interests
Wang Yi: “The international community is waiting to see whether the two sides will cooperate to solve global problems or whether they will come into conflict”
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Beijing on Friday, April 26. At these talks, the Chinese diplomatic chief issued a strong warning to the United States not to cross China’s “red lines” regarding its sovereignty, national security, and fundamental interests in political, economic, technological, and social affairs.
Recognizing that “dialogue, cooperation, and positive aspects (in relations with the USA – ed.) have recently intensified in various fields,” Wang Yi referred to “negative factors in China-US relations that continue to grow and accumulate. China’s legitimate right to development is unreasonably denied, and the country’s fundamental interests are constantly questioned.” The Chinese minister was referring to trade disputes between Beijing and Washington, as well as tensions over Taiwan and alarming US military activity in the South China Sea.
Wang, who also holds the top post as head of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said China’s stance toward the USA is “consistent.” China is committed to the principles of “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping, and is also committed to promoting stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral relations” with Washington to “build a community with a shared future for humanity.”
If the United States really wants to cooperate with China, the minister said, “it should not interfere in our internal affairs, impede development, and cross Beijing’s red lines when it comes to its sovereignty, security, and development interests.”
Blinken assessed that the meeting with his Chinese counterpart was part of a “joint effort to manage competition responsibly” between the world’s first and second largest economies. “We discussed differences, as well as issues of common interest, such as combatting drug trafficking, where we can make progress, to the benefit of both peoples,” the US Secretary of State wrote in a brief post on X social network (formerly Twitter). It is still unclear what message Blinken conveyed to his Chinese interlocutors regarding the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
