Chinese vice-foreign minister urges US to stop ‘smearing’ China
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Mr Ma Zhaoxu urged Washington to stop "smearing" China and imposing "abusive" sanctions on Chinese firms.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu urged the United States to refrain from “smearing” China and to stop imposing “abusive” sanctions on Chinese companies at talks this week in Washington,
Mr Ma met US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer on May 30, a day after the US accused Beijing’s leadership of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine and said China could face further Western sanctions.
“(We) urge the US to stop smearing and exerting pressure on China, stop imposing abusive unilateral sanctions on Chinese enterprises, and play a constructive role in the resolution of the Ukraine crisis,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Mr Ma as telling Mr Campbell.
Mr Ma said China-US relations were at a “critical stage” of stabilising from deterioration and called the Taiwan issue “the most important, sensitive and explosive issue” between Beijing and Washington.
“If the US really wants peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, it should abide by the one-China principle and the three joint communiques, and honour its commitment not to support ‘Taiwan independence’,” Mr Ma added.
State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel described Mr Campbell’s meeting with Mr Ma as part of intensive diplomacy to responsibly manage competition in the US-China relationship, and said the US expected more such senior-level engagement.
Mr Patel said the US its Group of Seven partners and other European Union and Nato countries shared the view that China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war “not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security”.
He declined to provide details of any future sanctions when asked whether those might target Chinese leaders, given Mr Campbell’s comment.
The Biden administration has stepped up warnings about China’s support for Russia and issued an executive order in December that threatened sanctions on financial institutions helping Russia skirt Western sanctions.
In April, the US imposed sanctions on 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong, following repeated warnings from Washington about China’s support for Russia’s military. REUTERS
