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Beijing has issued a fresh warning against backing for Taiwan as the top diplomats from the US and China meet in New York on Friday as rising tensions begin to ease.
This will be the first meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi since comprehensive negotiations in Bali in July, where both parties expressed hopeful for greater stability. The meeting will take place on the margins of the annual United Nations session.
A month later, when Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, went to Taiwan, Beijing held drills that were viewed as a practise invasion of the self-governing democracy.
In a statement that broke with decades of US ambiguity, President Joe Biden indicated in an interview that was broadcast on Sunday that the US was prepared to intervene militarily if China used force.
In a sign of improved relations, Wang claimed that he met with US climate envoy John Kerry in New York despite China’s warning following Pelosi’s visit that it was limiting cooperation on the topic, a top concern for Biden.
However, in a speech prior to his meetings with Blinken, Wang expressed his continued annoyance over US backing for Taiwan, which China views as a part of its territory.
“The biggest risk to China-US relations now is the Taiwan issue. It is most likely to utterly destroy bilateral ties if handled improperly “he declared in front of the Asia Society think tank.
China has the right to defend national unity, just as the US will not permit Hawaii to be taken away, he said.
He criticised the US government’s choice to “let” Pelosi, who is the vice president’s right-hand man and is next in line for the President, to travel to Taiwan. The Biden administration acknowledged that Congress is a different part of government, despite being privately apprehensive about her travel.
making a summit happen
Wang, however, showed Biden some courtesy. The New York meetings are anticipated to create the basis for Biden and President Xi Jinping’s first encounter since becoming the leaders of their respective nations, which is most likely to take place in Bali in November on the fringes of the Group of 20 economic powers summit.
In order to “make the China-US relationship function” and “avoid friction and confrontation,” Wang claimed that Biden and Xi share these goals.
“It appears that there are now two distinct sets of musical scores in the US, nevertheless. Their political leaders’ desire for a solid bilateral partnership has not yet been converted into sensible policy, “he stated
Taiwan is a lively democracy and significant technological power, and the US Congress is a bulwark of support for Taiwan.
An increase from decades of only selling arms upon Taipei’s request, a Senate committee this week took the first step toward directly supplying Taiwan with billions of dollars’ worth of weaponry to deter China.
Concerns about human rights have also escalated, with the United States accusing the communist regime of committing genocide against the Uyghur people, who are primarily Muslims.
Like his predecessor Donald Trump, Biden sees China’s rise as the main global threat to the US and has vowed to refocus US foreign policy on the issue.
The US’s attention was rapidly drawn to Europe by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, but it also raised concerns that Beijing may really carry out its long-standing threats to use force against Taiwan.
In keeping with the Biden administration’s emphasis on allies, Blinken met on Thursday with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea. He is also scheduled to hold a meeting of the so-called Quad with Australia, India, and Japan right before his talks with Wang.
