Chinatown, New York
Beijing/Washington: China today said that the Taiwan question is the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations, and that the one-China principle is the political foundation of China-US relations. It further stated that with the international community facing many common challenges, “China and the United States need to show broad vision and shoulder great responsibilities”.
Following yesterday’s telephone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, wherein Biden reportedly said that the US side had no intention to change the one-China policy, Chinese foreign office spokesperson Zhao Lijian told journalists today that the two countries should look ahead and press forward, demonstrate strategic courage and political resolve, and bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible for the good of the people in both countries and around the world.
Lijian said that President Xi stressed during the call, on the basis of respecting each other’s core concerns and properly managing differences, China and the US should continue engagement and dialogue to advance coordination and cooperation to inject more positive dynamics into the relationship. The Chinese foreign office stated that President Biden said during the phone call that the US side had no intention to change the one-China policy.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, both presidents agreed that in-depth communication between them on China-U.S. relations and major international issues is very important for steering the bilateral ties in the right direction. They agreed to maintain frequent contact by multiple means and instruct officials at the working level to intensify the work, conduct extensive dialogue and create conditions for the further development of China-U.S. relations.
However, the press readout of the meeting between the two leaders, released by the White House, there was no mention of Biden’s take on one-China policy. It only stated that both leaders had a broad, strategic discussion in which they discussed areas where their interests converge, and areas where their interests, values, and perspectives diverge. President Biden underscored the United States’ enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.
This discussion, as President Biden made clear, was part of the United States’ ongoing effort to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and “the PRC”[People’s Republic of China].
Significantly, the Xi-Biden conversation had also coincided with yet another contentious issue of Huawei. Yesterday, a group of 13 Republican lawmakers on the Energy and Commerce Committee had raised concerns about U.S. approval for Chinese telecommunications company Huawei to buy chips for its auto components business in a letter. They had asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg if he was concerned “Huawei will … gather information on Americans and our transportation infrastructure”.
Lijian, when asked about the concerns raised by the lawmakers, term them as “thieving US politicians”, who he said, “have the nerve to call others thieves”. He went on to state that “When it comes to stealing and gathering information, the US is the true world champion”. He added: “Global tapping scandals such as the PRISM program have proven that the US deserves the title empire of hacking more than any other country. It is not the US that should be concerned, but rather other countries”.
Defending Chinese businesses, he claimed they maintain “a good record” in information security. “Huawei has openly announced to the whole world its readiness to sign no-backdoor agreements and to launch cybersecurity assessment centers in any country to receive external testing. I wonder if US companies dare to do the same? We urge the US lawmakers to actually serve their constituencies instead of smearing others and engaging in political manipulation,” he said.
– global bihari bureau
