US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in Washington on February 4, 2021, during the visit of US President of the US Department, Joe Biden.
Tom Brenner | Reuters
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on China to condemn the military coup in Myanmar and warned Beijing that Washington will work with its allies for the People’s Republic, which it has specifically called for international threats in the Taiwan Strait Is described as his efforts.
Blinken spoke with his counterpart Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in the first conversation between senior US and Chinese officials in President Joe Biden’s office late Friday. The top US diplomat emphasized human rights in the call, while Yang called for Washington to respect China’s sovereignty.
“Secretary Blinken insisted that the United States continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values, including Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, and pressured China to join the international community in condemning the military coup in Burma,” White said. Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
Controversial calls between top diplomats in Washington and Beijing suggest that relations between the world’s two largest economies under the Biden administration are unlikely to improve. Yang asked the US not to interfere in China’s internal affairs in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. Yang warned Palak that any attempt to discredit China would fail.
Tensions between the US and China reached a boiling point under the Trump administration. Although President Joe Biden is reviewing a number of Trump-era foreign policy decisions, he is unlikely to reverse most policies of the previous administration with China. Biden has already said that he will not immediately withdraw hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs imposed by Trump against Chinese exports, as the new administration also wants to keep a stricter outlook on trade.
The day before Biden’s inauguration, the Trump administration marked the suppression of Uyghur Muslims in China’s western Xinjiang province as “genocide and crime against humanity”. As Trump stepped down, Beijing imposed sanctions against former administration officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and business advisor Peter Navarro.
The Biden administration will retain the genocide designation, Biden’s nominee for UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during her confirmation hearing. Biden condemned China’s actions as a genocide in Xinjiang during his presidential campaign.
The White House is already facing its first major international flash point with China after overthrowing the military in Myanmar earlier this month and detaining the country’s civilian leadership.
The US has warned that it will take action against those responsible for the coup if it does not release the detained civilian leadership and maintains the country’s democratic transition. China, for its part, has refrained from condemning the coup, calling instead a solution to the crisis under the country’s constitution.
There is also increasing tension on Taiwan. Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan, with self-rule under the umbrella of the US security guarantee. A few days after Biden’s inauguration, China condemned Washington, sending war planes to the Taiwan Strait. On Thursday, a US Navy warship sailed through the Strait after Biden took over.
“The Secretary confirmed that the United States would work closely with its partners and partners to protect our shared values and interests, including efforts to threaten stability in the Indo-Pacific, including across the Taiwan-Strait of the PRC Is responsible for, and preventing its dilution. The rules-based international system, “State Department spokesman Price said of Blinken’s Friday call.
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