One meeting will not solve all issues with Washington, says China envoy

Beijing, March 18 (efe-epa).- On the eve of a crucial bilateral meeting between Beijing and Washington in Alaska, China’s ambassador to the United States said his country does not expect that one session will resolve all the issues between the two countries.

It is their first contact after relations between the world’s two largest economic powers were damaged during the presidency of Donald Trump.

“We certainly do not expect a single dialog to resolve all the issues between China and the US; that’s why we don’t pin overly high expectations or have any illusions on it,” Cui Tiankai said, according to state newspaper China Daily on Thursday.

Speaking to the leading Chinese press in the US Wednesday, envoy Cui stressed the official red line of not giving an inch on matters concerning sovereignty, national unity or territorial integrity, issues for which there is “no room” for compromise nor concessions.

These three key issues for China are related to the sovereignty of Taiwan, which Beijing claims despite the island being governed autonomously since 1949, complaints of human rights violations against Muslim minorities in Xinjiang and tightening of freedoms in Hong Kong over the past year, among other issues.

“If they think China will compromise and give in under the pressure of other countries, or China wants to pursue the so-called ‘outcome’ of this dialog by accepting any unilateral request, I think they should give up this illusion, as this attitude will only lead the dialog to a dead end,” said the diplomat.

“We will also express our position clearly in this meeting and will not make compromises and concessions on these issues in order to create a so-called ‘atmosphere,'” he said. “We’ll never do that.”

However, Cui trusted that “both parties will come with sincerity and leave with a better understanding of each other.”

The first official meeting between Beijing and Washington since US President Joe Biden arrived at the White House in January takes place in Alaska Thursday.

The Chinese delegation will be led by the head of Foreign Affairs for the Chinese Communist Party Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The US side will be led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The meeting comes after Blinken announced sanctions against 24 Chinese officials who the US blames for reducing the autonomy of Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city that in the last year has seen its freedoms and democratic mechanisms seriously undermined. EFE-EPA

jt/tw