China-US relationship is more stable but still at risk if ‘red lines’ are crossed, Wang tells Blinken in Beijing

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, gestures to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Friday. Photo: AP

China has warned visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the United States must not cross any red lines on sovereignty, security or development or risk a downward spiral in relations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks on Friday as the two settled into a long discussion to cover issues on which they differ. The two countries diverge on a range of matters from trade, tensions in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and their nations’ tech rivalry.

It was Blinken’s second trip to China in a year as Beijing and Washington try to stabilise ties ahead of a crucial presidential election in America and amid concerns about growing tensions on international hotspot issues that spark worry of a conflict between the two countries. He arrived in Beijing on Thursday afternoon after visiting Shanghai.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, reacts during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. Photo: AP

Wang told Blinken bilateral ties had generally stabilised, including greater cooperation and dialogue following the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden in San Francisco in November, according to a readout from China’s foreign ministry.

However, the readout said “negative factors” were building, including unreasonable suppression of China’s legitimate right to development and constant challenges to China’s core interests.

“Whether China and the United States adhere to the right path of stability and progress, or repeat the downward spiral, is a major issue before the two countries, testing the sincerity and ability of both sides,” Wang said.

He said China’s attitudes, position and demand had been consistent, and Beijing was committed to a stable, healthy and sustainable bilateral relationship.

“China’s demand has been consistent, always advocating respect for each other’s core interests, and the United States should not interfere in China’s internal affairs, suppress China’s development, or step on China’s red lines when it comes to China’s sovereignty, security and development interests,” Wang said.

Blinken, who is in Beijing on the last leg of a three-day visit to China, replied that “face-to-face diplomacy” was needed to move forward with the agenda set by the leaders’ summit in November.

“Moving forward on the agenda that our presidents set requires active diplomacy … but also to make sure that we’re as clear as possible about the areas where we have differences, at the very least to avoid misunderstandings, to avoid miscalculations,” Blinken said, according to a US State Department readout.

The State Department signalled before the trip that the meeting was likely to focus on China’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, according to the Wall Street Journal, some Chinese banks face the sanction of being removed from the global financial system.

China has repeatedly said it would “resolutely defend” its “inviolable” right to trade with Russia.

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Intensified trade tensions hung over the talks after Biden last week called for tripling the existing tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminium, and the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office announced the launch of yet another Section 301 investigation into China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding sectors.

During his stay in China’s economic powerhouse of Shanghai, Blinken also raised concerns about “non-market practices” with the city’s top official, Chen Jining.

Washington has accused China of undermining the interests of American firms through unfair competition and manufacturing overcapacity, floating the possibility of placing further tariffs on Chinese goods such as electric vehicles