Risks facing relations with US still accumulating: China’s top diplomat tells Blinken

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Acknowledging that exchanges with Washington had increased in recent past, China’s top diplomat Saturday warned risks in bilateral relations with the US were “still on the rise.”

Wang Yi made these comments during a meeting with his US counterpart Antony Blinken in Vientiane, capital of Laos which hosted meetings of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Wang pointed out: “The US has not stopped its containment and suppression of China, and has even intensified it.”

“The risks facing Sino-US relations are still accumulating, and the challenges are also rising. It is still at a critical juncture of stopping the decline and stabilizing,” said the Chinese foreign minister, according to a statement released by Beijing.

He said it was “necessary” for the two sides to “constantly calibrate the direction, manage risks, properly handle differences, eliminate interference, and promote cooperation.”

Wang noted that the US “insists on its wrong perception of China and always reflects China with its own hegemonic logic.”

“China is not the United States and does not want to become the United States,” he told Blinken.

“China does not seek hegemony or power, and is a major country with the best record in the world on peace and security issues,” said Wang.

On tensions with the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea, Wang told the US counterpart that Washington “should stop fanning the flames, stirring up trouble and undermining stability at sea.”

On Taiwan, Wang said the island nation “will never be a country.”

"'Taiwan independence’ and peace in the Taiwan Strait are incompatible. Every time the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces provoke, we will definitely counter them, constantly reduce the space for ‘Taiwan independence’ and work towards the goal of achieving complete reunification,” said the Chinese foreign minister.

Emphasizing on peace and dialogue in Ukraine crisis, Wang told Blinken the US “should stop abusing unilateral sanctions.”

“China opposes smearing and framing, does not accept pressure and blackmail, and will take resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its major interests and legitimate rights,” he added.