(Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged the United States to stop interfering in China’s affairs and harming China’s security in a telephone conversation with his U.S. counterpart, Antony Blinken, a few days before the latter’s trip to Beijing.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qin Gang asked Antony Blinken to respect the essential concerns of China, the question of Taiwan in particular, a prerequisite according to him for the recovery of relations between the two superpowers.
The US secretary of state insisted on the need for communication “to avoid miscalculations and conflicts” and said that the United States would continue to discuss these topics and cooperation with China, said the president. State Department in a brief summary of the interview.
If Antony Blinken’s trip takes place, it would be the first visit to China by an American diplomat in five years, while relations between Beijing and Washington have continued to grow. deteriorate for several years.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet officially communicated on Antony Blinken’s trip, but an American official indicated last Friday that he would be in Beijing on June 18, without further details.
A visit by the US Secretary of State scheduled for February was canceled at the last moment in reaction to the overflight of US territory by a Chinese airship suspected of spying on the United States.
The numerous trips by American officials to Taiwan, an island considered by Beijing to be an integral part of China, have also exacerbated tensions between the two countries.
“Since the beginning of the year, China-US relations have gone through new difficulties and new challenges, and the responsibility is clear,” Qin Gang told his counterpart, according to the Foreign Ministry statement.
The United States should “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition,” Qin Gang added.
(Writing from Beijing; Nicolas Delame, edited by Blandine Hénault)
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