US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed concern over deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington in a telephone conversation today.
“I had a telephone conversation with State Councilor and Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China, Qin Gang, tonight”said Blinken on the social network Twitter.
“We discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open communication channels and address bilateral and global issues”added the US Secretary of State.
In a statement, China’s foreign ministry said Qin urged the United States to “respect China’s key concerns,” including the Taiwan issue.
The Chinese minister asked Washington to do so “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition”indicated the same note.
Qin noted that relations between China and the US “are facing new difficulties and challenges since the beginning of the year”, with “the responsibility of the two sides to work together to manage differences well, promote exchanges and cooperation and stabilize relations”.
Blinken will visit China this week, following several weeks in which the two countries have made diplomatic overtures in an effort to ease tensions.
In February, Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing after US authorities shot down a Chinese balloon, allegedly used for espionage, over US territory.
China has since rejected Washington’s attempts to re-establish official contacts, but some overtures have been made.
Last week, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink became the highest-ranking US official to visit China since the balloon affair.
In May, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, in Washington to discuss trade issues.
Relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated rapidly in recent years due to a trade and technology war, disputes over human rights, the status of Hong Kong and Taiwan, or the sovereignty of the South China Sea.
Source: DN
