Tianjin: 27 July 2021 (TDI): The Deputy Secretary of State-US, Wendy Sherman met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng in Tianjin on Monday. Sherman is the highest-ranking U.
S. official to visit China during Biden’s presidency.
Xie said tensions between the two countries are fundamentally caused by the actions of some U.
S. politicians who try to establish China as an “imagined enemy.” He also urged Washington to “change its highly misguided mindset and dangerous policy.” He added that it seems as if when China’s development is contained, all U.S. domestic and external challenges would go away and America would become great again and Pax Americana would continue to go on. The U.S. policy seems to be demanding cooperation when it wants something from China but decoupling, cutting off supplies, blockading or sanctioning China when it believes it has an advantage, and resorting to conflict and confrontation at all costs.
China delivered two lists of major concerns to the U.S., including lifting sanctions and visa restrictions targeted at Chinese officials and entities, as well as the extradition order of Huawei’s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.
As reported in a press release by the U.S. Department of State, the Deputy Secretary also had a frank and open discussion with the Chinese FM and State Counselor Wang Yi about a range of issues, demonstrating the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our two countries. They discussed ways to set terms for responsible management of the U.S-China relationship. The Deputy Secretary underscored that the United States welcomes the stiff competition between our countries and intends to continue to strengthen its own competitive hand and it does not seek conflict with the PRC. She said U.S. will continue to press the PRC to respect international norms and its international obligations.
The Chinese Foreign Minister stressed that the United States is the country that should reflect the most when it comes to adherence to the international rules, and it should take the lead in this regard.
Sherman’s visit is the first high-level diplomatic event between the two countries since a meeting in Anchorage, Alaska in March that broke down into lengthy confrontations between senior diplomats from both sides.
