The flags of China, the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party are displayed in a flag stall at the Yiwu Wholesale Market in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China, on May 10, 2019.
Aly Song | Reuters
BEIJING – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that the United States needs to remove “irrational restrictions” for the two countries’ relationship to progress under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Wang’s comments come at a time when tensions between the U.S. and China have increased in recent years under former President Donald Trump, whose term ended in January. So far, the Biden government has maintained a tough stance on China – calling the country a more assertive “competitor” – and has raised concerns about Beijing’s stance around Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
China’s central government regards these issues as part of its internal affairs.
“Speaking of China-US relations, I believe that, first of all, both sides must abide by the principle of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs,” said Wang. According to an official English translation of his comments in Mandarin, at a news conference held alongside the annual parliamentary meeting “Two Sessions” in Beijing, the biggest political event of the year in the country.
Call Biden-Xi
Biden raised “fundamental concerns” about Beijing’s actions on issues like Hong Kong in a two-hour phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping in February, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, according to the White House. On the occasion, the two leaders also discussed how to contain the coronavirus pandemic, working together on climate change and preventing the proliferation of weapons.
Wang said on Sunday that the two countries could also cooperate in the economic recovery from the pandemic and pointed to the call as a positive basis for rebuilding the bilateral relationship.
“We are ready to work with the United States to continue the outcome of this important call and to put China-US relations on a new path of healthy and stable growth,” he said.