TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Relations between the U.S. and China are still tense, despite concerted efforts to deescalate, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) said before a closed-door meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday (April 25).
“The negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building, and the relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions,” Wang said, per a U.S. state department press release. He also claimed that China’s rights and interests are being “unreasonably suppressed.”
Nevertheless, the foreign minister acknowledged that U.S.-China ties were stabilizing overall through more dialogue and cooperation. Wang said China has always been consistent in its position towards bilateral ties.
“We always follow the principles laid forth by President Xi Jinping, which is mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and winning cooperation, and are committed to a stable, healthy, and sustainable China-U.S. relationship,” Wang said. Beijing has always stressed mutual respect for “each other’s core interests” and no interference in its “internal affairs,” he added.
The U.S. should also refrain from crossing China’s red lines regarding “sovereignty, security, and development interests,” Wang said.
Blinken said the U.S. was focused on resuming cooperation on counternarcotics and military dialogue. He emphasized that Washington also wanted to avoid any misunderstandings and miscalculations.
The meeting comes as China has ramped up military activity in the Taiwan Strait in recent years, while the U.S. continues to sell weapons to Taiwan.
The U.S. has already greenlit the sales of missiles, F-16Vs, Abrams tanks, communication systems, and logistical support. However, with the ongoing war in Ukraine and conflict in Gaza, a backlog in arms deliveries to Taiwan has reached US$19 billion (NT$618.72 billion) in value. U.S. lawmakers have been trying to speed up the delivery process.
To help boost Taiwan’s defense capabilities, Congress passed an aid package that allocated US$2 billion in Foreign Military Financing, which went to Taiwan and other U.S. regional security partners to counter Chinese aggression, while US$1.9 billion was for replenishing defense articles and defense services provided to Taiwan and regional partners. U.S. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday.
