Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a press conference after re-establishing diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, on September 27, 2019.
Mark Kauzlarich | Reuters
BEIJING – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on the new US administration to stop the “suppression” of Chinese technology companies, as it set the conditions for US-China cooperation in the future.
Citing national security issues, former U.S. President Donald Trump has sanctioned dozens of Chinese companies in the past three years.
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is one of the most prominent companies to suffer these orders and fell from the world’s leading smartphone provider to sixth place last year as a result of the sanctions.
China would like the US to eliminate tariffs and sanctions on companies and “abandon the irrational suppression of China’s technological progress to create the necessary conditions for cooperation between China and the United States,” Wang said. an official translation into English shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wang also called on the U.S. to support international Chinese students and remove restrictions on American cultural groups and media. He was speaking at a Beijing forum on “Returning China-US Relations on the Right Path.”
Tensions between the two countries accelerated under the Trump administration, which tried to use taxes and blacklists to address long-standing business complaints about China’s lack of intellectual property protection, the requirements for forced transfer of technology and state dominance in the markets.
While it’s still unclear what action U.S. President Joe Biden can take, he has maintained a firm tone since he took office about a month ago.
Biden told European allies in a speech on Friday that “we must prepare for long-term strategic competition with China.”
Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Trump-era tariffs would remain in place and that any change would depend on China’s adherence to trade commitments.
Red lines of policy and areas of cooperation
Biden is expected to place more emphasis on human rights issues such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
Wang reiterated Monday that these regions are part of China’s “internal affairs” and that relations with the United States can only improve if Beijing’s position is respected.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai also said Monday that Beijing and Washington must define the boundaries of their foreign policy, noting that China’s red line problems include Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet. , according to Reuters.
Leaders in both countries remain open to cooperation in some areas, such as reducing carbon emissions.
Wang said the two nations can work together to fight the coronavirus pandemic and support the global economic recovery, and stressed that Beijing continues to support U.S. companies in China.
The analysis released last week by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with the firm Rhodium Group, found that if the U.S. sells half of its direct investment to China, U.S. investors would lose $ 25 billion. of dollars a year in capital gains. The report called for political measures directed, rather than expanded, against China.