The top
US and Chinese diplomats met Friday in New York as soaring tensions
show signs of easing, but Beijing issued a new warning against support for
Taiwan.
اضافة اعلان
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shook
hands but only exchanged pleasantries before the cameras before sitting down
with aides on the sidelines of the annual United Nations summit.
It was their first encounter since extensive talks in July in Bali where
both sides appeared optimistic for more stability.
One month later, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, infuriating
Beijing which staged exercises seen as a trial run for an invasion of the self-governing
democracy.
In a sign of smoother ties, Wang also met in New York with US climate envoy
John Kerry despite China's announcement after Pelosi's visit that it was
curbing cooperation on the issue, a key priority for Biden.
Blinken went ahead with the talks despite paring down his schedule following
the death of his father on Thursday. Immediately before seeing Wang, he met
with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and India, the so-called
"Quad" which Beijing has denounced as an attempt to isolate it.
"Our four countries know very well the significant challenges that we
face, as well as the opportunities that are before us, demand more than ever
that we work together," Blinken said as the ministers signed an agreement
on cooperation in disaster relief.
- Taiwan the
'biggest risk' -
President Joe Biden in an interview aired Sunday said he was ready to
intervene militarily if China uses force in Taiwan, once again deviating from
decades of US ambiguity.
In a speech before his talks with Blinken, Wang reiterated anger over US
support for Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.
"The Taiwan question is growing into the biggest risk in China-US
relations. Should it be mishandled it is most likely to devastate bilateral
ties," he said at the Asia Society think tank.
"Just as the US will not allow Hawaii to be stripped away, China has
the right to uphold the unification of the country," he said.
He denounced the US decision to "allow" the Taiwan visit by
Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency after the vice president. The
Biden administration, while privately concerned about her trip, noted that
Congress is a separate branch of government.
But Wang was conciliatory toward Biden. The New York talks are expected to
lay the groundwork for a first meeting between Biden and President Xi Jinping
since they became their two countries' leaders, likely in Bali in November on
the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 economic powers.
Wang said that both Biden and Xi seek to "make the China-US relationship
work" and to "steer clear of conflict and confrontation."
The US Congress is a stronghold of support for Taiwan, a vibrant democracy
and major technological power.
Last week a Senate committee took a first step to providing billions of
dollars in weapons directly to Taiwan to deter China, a ramp-up from decades of
only selling weapons requested by Taipei.
Tensions have also risen over human rights with the United States accusing
the communist state of carrying out genocide against the mostly Muslim Uyghur
people.
Biden, like his predecessor Donald Trump, has viewed a rising China as the
chief global competitor to the United States and vowed to reorient US foreign
policy around the challenge.
Russia's invasion in February of Ukraine quickly diverted the US focus to
Europe but also heightened fears that Beijing could make good on years of
threats to use force against Taiwan.
Yet US officials have also been heartened that China has shown some distance
from Russia, nominally its close ally.
Wang met in New York with Ukraine's foreign minister for the first time
since the war and in a Security Council session Thursday emphasized the need
for a ceasefire rather than support for Russia.
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