Against the backdrop of instability in Europe, Beijing again reminded that there is a risk of confrontation in the Pacific region, where the interests of the United States and China clash
Wang Yi
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, said that the statements of “certain officials” Washington is provoking a confrontation between the two countries, according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“There is both competition and cooperation between China and the US, and we cannot simply use competition to define bilateral relations. Some US officials are advocating a long-term, bitter competition with China that is likely to escalate into a full-blown confrontation between China and the US. China once again calls on the United States to take concrete action to fulfill the commitments made by President Biden, — the message says.
Wang Yi emphasized that Beijing is ready to build relations with the United States “on the basis of three principles: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation.” However, he noted that the United States recently released a new version of its “Indo-Pacific Strategy” in which China is called a regional threat, and Taiwan is used to contain China.
Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated under the presidency of Donald Trump: the States have imposed economic sanctions on some Chinese companies and accused the PRC of massive human rights violations. After the arrival of Joe Biden, his administration, although it lifted some of the sanctions imposed under Trump, on the whole continued the policy of economic restrictions. In particular, in 2021, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Chinese officials who were considered to undermine democracy in Hong Kong.
At the same time, the situation in the South China Sea escalated. China has several times accused the United States of entering their warships into territorial waters that China considers its own.
One of the key problems in relations between China and the United States is the issue of Taiwan (Republic of China). China considers the island its own territory, although more than a dozen countries recognize Taiwan's independence. The United States has not officially recognized the independence of Taiwan, although it maintains strong economic and political ties with it, including in the defense sphere. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has pointed out that there is “a wide range of cooperation” between Taiwan and the United States. It, she admitted, includes the training of soldiers and is aimed at increasing the country's defense capability. The President of Taiwan also noted that the threat from China “is growing every day” and said that she believes in US assistance in the event of an attack on Beijing.
In early February, during Vladimir Putin's visit to China, Russia and China signed a joint statement in which Beijing supported Russian demands for non-expansion of NATO, and Moscow stressed that it did not intend to recognize Taiwan.