China and the US seek stabilization of relations

2023-05-08 13:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

China and the US seek stabilization of relations

Illustrative photo

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on May 8 that it was necessary to stabilize the relationship between China and the United States after a series of "harsh words and deeds" brought relations back to a frozen state.

Qin, during a meeting in Beijing with US Ambassador Nicholas Burns, said that the US separately needs to improve its handling of the Taiwan issue and must stop disregarding the "one China" principle.

Relations between the world's two largest economies soured last year when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governing island of Taiwan, angering China, which claims the island as part of its territory.

In response, China blocked several channels used for official communications with the US, especially those between the two militaries.

"The top priority is to stabilize China-US relations, avoid the deterioration of relations and prevent any accident between China and the US," Qin said during the meeting with Burns, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported.

Tensions between the two superpowers eased last November when US President Joe Biden met Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the G20 summit in Indonesia and the leaders pledged more frequent dialogue.

But tensions rose again in February when a Chinese balloon appeared in US airspace, forcing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel his visit to Beijing.

"Since then, a series of harsh words and actions from the US have undermined the hard-won positive momentum in China-US relations," Qin said.

Ambassador Burns, through a post on Twitter, said that during the meeting with Qin, he also spoke about the need for stability in the relations between the two states.

"We discussed the challenges in US-China relations and the need to stabilize relations and expand high-level communication," Burns said.

Taiwan remains the key issue in China-US relations.

Last month, China held military exercises around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the US.

Since 1979, US-Taiwan relations have been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which provides the legal basis to give Taiwan the means to defend itself, but does not say the US will help Taiwan in case of any attack.

In the budget for 2023, the US Congress has authorized military aid to Taiwan in the amount of 1 billion dollars./ Rel