China’s head of diplomacy, Qin Gang, did not travel to Jakarta to attend the meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) because he was “sick”. It therefore fell to his predecessor Wang Yi, the chief diplomat of the Chinese Communist Party, to attend the meeting and meet US Secretary of State Antony on the sidelines for the second time in a month. Flashing.
It was a “sincere and constructive” dialogue that emerged amid the controversy over alleged Chinese hackers getting into US government emails and after the NATO summit, where the Allies returned to use foul language against China. – much to the chagrin of Beijing, which also criticized the presence at the meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
“The outspoken ambitions and coercive policies of the People’s Republic of China challenge our interests, security and values.”read the NATO summit communiqué, Beijing reacted quickly, accusing the Atlantic Alliance of distorting China’s position and deliberately trying to discredit the country. “We strongly oppose NATO’s eastward move in the Asia-Pacific region and any action that jeopardizes China’s legitimate rights and interests will be met with a firm response,” he said. said the Chinese delegation to the EU.
The document adopted by the 31 countries in Vilnius also recalled that Beijing is “using a wide range of political, economic and military tools to increase its global presence and project strength, while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military reinforcement”, citing, for example, hybrid or cyber operations that “target Allies and undermine the security of the Alliance”.
This comes at a time when Microsoft has reported that hackers operating out of China have breached the email accounts of at least 25 organizations, including US government agencies – including within the State Department.
Meeting with Wang Yi yesterday, Blinken “made it clear that any action against the US government, US companies, US citizens is of great concern to us and we will take the necessary steps to hold those responsible accountable,” according to a statement. report. US official who remained anonymous, quoted by AFP. However, Blinken does not directly accuse China of involvement.
The secretary of state also called for the “urgent” restoration of military-level communication channels between the two countries. “It is our responsibility to keep our channels of communication open, including between our two armies, and I think it is urgent that we do that.” Blinken underlined, said the same official. On the Chinese side, according to the Xinhua news agency, Wang Yi defended that “the US must take concrete measures to restore relations between China and the US”, and called for adopting “a rational and pragmatic attitude” to cooperate with Beijing. .
Yesterday’s meeting is part of efforts by Washington and Beijing to maintain an open dialogue between the world’s two largest economies to “become responsible with competition”. It came after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to Beijing and before Special Climate Envoy John Kerry’s visit to China. But the meetings that have served to ease the tension have been followed by statements that have reignited tempers. After Blinken was in Beijing, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as Qin Qang and Wang Yi, US President Joe Biden compared his counterpart to “dictators” at a campaign fundraising dinner.
The alliance with Moscow
Meanwhile, Beijing is strengthening ties with Moscow, with Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting China “in the coming months”. “China and Russia strongly support each other to ensure legitimate interests, continue the path of harmonious coexistence and mutually beneficial development.” said yesterday the Chinese diplomat, who also met with the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov. “We have more and more focus points and plans for convergence, so I look forward with optimism to the future development,” said the latter.
Today it is the turn of the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, to meet Wang Yi and promise to discuss Beijing’s concerns about NATO enlargement. Meanwhile, Beijing and the 10 ASEAN nations have agreed to sign a non-aggression pact for the next three years, aiming to prevent frequent territorial disputes in the South China Sea from turning into armed conflict, a diplomat said. involved in the negotiations quoted by AP.
Source: DN
