Stop The Bullying; Don’t Cross The Red Line, China’s Foreign Minister Warns US

The US must abandon its “old habit of unilateral bullying,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the phone.

Wang accused the US on Friday of trying to stifle China’s development. Washington must pay attention to Beijing’s legitimate concerns, he added, warning against using “salami slicing” tactics to test China’s red lines.

He was alluding to the practice of performing a series of minor actions in order to create a much greater effect that would be difficult to attain with a single massive action.

Wang’s words highlighted the significant difficulties that exist between the world’s two largest economies, even as their leaders have attempted to re-engage in diplomacy in recent weeks.

Last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping met US President Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Bali, where they discussed a number of sensitive matters, including Taiwan. It was their first face-to-face meeting since 2017.

China considers Taiwan to be its own territory and feels the US is gradually eroding its key interests and attacking its bottom line while avoiding a single extreme action that would give China a clear justification to respond with full force.

Biden had expressed concern over China’s “coercive and more aggressive activities toward Taiwan,” which he claimed threatened peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region, as well as jeopardized the global economy.

It is the “first red line” in China-US ties, according to Xi.

According to a statement issued by the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday, Wang emphasized that the two sides should focus on turning the Bali consensus of the two heads of state into actual policies and concrete actions.

“It is necessary to step up consultations on the guiding principles of China-U.S. relations, promote dialogue at all levels, and resolve specific issues between the two countries through joint working groups,” Wang said.

In his discussion with Wang, Blinken discussed the “need to maintain open channels of communication and appropriately manage the US-PRC [People’s Republic of China] relationship,” according to a brief readout from the US State Department.

“concerns about Russia’s campaign against Ukraine and the threats it presents to global security and economic stability,” the US side said.

Wang stressed that China has “always stood by the side of peace and the purposes of the UN Charter”.

“Standing on the side of the international community to promote peace and talks, we will continue to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis in our own way,” the Chinese foreign ministry quoted Wang as telling Blinken.

Aljazeera