China’s Wang tells Blinken ‘no room for compromise’ on Taiwan issue

Beijing, June 19 (EFE).- China’s top diplomat Wang Yi warned the United States that there was “no room for compromise” on the Taiwan issue during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.

Wang and Blinken, who arrived on Sunday for a two-day state visit aimed at stabilizing relations, met for around three hours in Beijing.

“Safeguarding national unification will always be the core of China’s core interests, it concerns the fate of all Chinese people, and it is the unswerving historical mission of the CPC,” a readout from the meeting published by the state-backed Global Times newspaper said.

“On the Taiwan question, China has no room for compromise and concession,” it added.

“The US side must truly adhere to the one-China principle set out in the three China-US joint communiqués, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and clearly oppose ‘Taiwan independence,’” Wang, who is director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said.

Beijing’s top diplomat went on to say that the root cause of the decline in China-US relations was that Washington had “an erroneous perception” of China and urged the US to “reflect deeply” and work with Beijing to manage differences.

“We must take a responsible attitude toward the people, history and the world, and reverse the downward spiral of the US-China relations,” he added.

During the meeting, Wang urged the US to stop hyping the “China threat” and suppressing China’s development and to withdraw the “illegal unilateral sanctions” that it had slapped on Chinese companies and individuals.

Meanwhile, Blinken underscored the need for both parties to “responsibly” manage their competition through “open channels of communication” and to ensure it “does not veer into conflict,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken added that the US would continue to use diplomacy to “stand up for the interests and values of the American people,” according to the statement.

Following the bilateral talks with Wang, Blinken will be meeting with US students taking part in exchange programs in China and also with representatives of American companies working in the Asian giant, according to the State Department.

Blinken is also scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later on Monday afternoon, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. EFE

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