Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the United States on Sunday not to participate in China’s “internal affairs,” saying that “both sides must comply with the principle of non-interference,” CNBC reports.
Why it’s important: Biden has promised a tough approach with China. Tensions between the U.S. and China had risen for years under the Trump administration.
What it says: Wang called on the U.S. to “remove all irrational restrictions on bilateral cooperation as soon as possible” and “not create new obstacles,” according to CNBC, although he did not specify what the restrictions are.
The foreign minister also urged the US not crossing an “insurmountable red line” undermining China’s demand for Taiwan, according to AP. The democratically governed island that separated from the mainland in 1949.
- Wang said the Chinese government “has no room for compromise” on Taiwan, adding that the Biden administration should “completely change the previous administration’s dangerous practices of crossing the line and playing with fire.”
- “It is important for the United States to recognize this as soon as possible. Otherwise, the world will remain far from calm.”
Yes, but: Wang said the two countries could cooperate on issues such as the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. He pointed to a two-hour phone call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this year as a sign that nations could rebuild their relationship.
- “We are ready to work with the United States to track the outcome of this important phone call and establish Sino-US relations on a new path of healthy and steady growth,” he said.