China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a news conference after restoring diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, September 27, 2019.
Mark Kauzlarich | Reuters
BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday called on the new US government to stop the “suppression” of Chinese technology companies by defining the conditions for advancing US-China cooperation.
Citing national security concerns, former U.S. President Donald Trump has sanctioned dozens of Chinese companies in the past three years.
Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei is one of the most important companies that has suffered from these orders, dropping from number one smartphone supplier globally to sixth place last year as a result of the sanctions.
China would like the United States to remove tariffs and sanctions on companies and “abandon the irrational suppression of China’s technological progress in order to create the necessary conditions for China-US cooperation,” said Wang, according to an official English translation. shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wang also called on the United States to support international Chinese students and remove restrictions on cultural groups and the media in America. He spoke at a forum in Beijing with the theme “Bringing China-US relations back on track”.
Tensions between the two countries have accelerated under the Trump administration, which sought to use fees and blacklists to deal with longstanding commercial complaints about the lack of protection of intellectual property in China, requirements for forced technology transfer and state domination in the United States. markets.
While it is unclear what exact action US President Joe Biden can take, he has maintained a firm tone since taking office about a month ago.
Biden told European allies in a speech on Friday that “we must prepare for long-term strategic competition with China”.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that Trump-era tariffs would remain in effect and that any changes would depend on China’s adherence to trade agreement commitments.
Red lines of policy and areas of cooperation
Biden is expected to place more emphasis on human rights issues such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
Wang reiterated on Monday that these regions are part of China’s “internal affairs” and that relations with the United States can only improve if Beijing’s position is respected.
Chinese ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, also said on Monday that Beijing and Washington should set the limits of their foreign policy, noting that China’s red line issues include Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet, according to Reuters.
The leaders of the two countries remain open to cooperation in some areas, such as reducing carbon emissions.
Wang said the two nations could work together to fight the coronavirus pandemic and support the global economic recovery, and emphasized that Beijing continues to support American companies in China.
Analysis released last week by the United States Chamber of Commerce, together with the consulting firm Rhodium Group, found that if the United States sold half of its direct investment in China, American investors would lose $ 25 billion a year in earnings from capital. The report calls for targeted, rather than radical, political measures against China.