The Chinese Foreign Minister calls for “no interference” between China and the United States

BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that the US needs to remove “unreasonable restrictions” for the relationship between the two countries to move forward under the administration of President Joe Biden.

Wang’s statements come as tensions between the United States and China have risen in recent years under former President Donald Trump, whose term ended in January. So far, the Biden administration has maintained a strong stance on China – calling the country a more assertive “competitor” – and has expressed concerns about Beijing’s stance around Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.

The central government of China considers these issues to be part of its national affairs.

“Speaking of China-US relations, I believe that first of all the two sides need to comply with the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,” Wang said. According to an official English translation of his statements in Mandarin at a press conference held next to the annual “Two Sessions” parliamentary meeting in Beijing, the country’s largest political event of the year.

Biden had raised “fundamental concerns” about Beijing’s actions on issues such as Hong Kong in a two-hour phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping in February ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, according to the White House. At the time, the two leaders also discussed how to combat the coronavirus pandemic, working together on climate change and preventing the proliferation of weapons.

Wang said Sunday that the two countries could also cooperate in the economic recovery from the pandemic and pointed to the phone call as a positive basis for rebuilding the bilateral relationship.

“We are ready to work with the United States to track the outcome of this important telephone call and establish China-US relations on a new path of healthy and steady growth,” he said.