China says imperative to stabilise Sino-US relations

BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday that it is imperative to

stabilise Sino-US relations

after a series of “erroneous words and deeds” threw ties back into a deep freeze.

Mr Qin, in a meeting in Beijing with US Ambassador Nicholas Burns, stressed in particular that the United States must correct its handling of the Taiwan issue and stop the hollowing out of the “one China” principle.

The relationship between the world’s two biggest economies sank to a low in 2022 when then Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi paid an official visit to Taiwan.

That move angered China, which claims the island as its territory.

In response, Beijing severed formal communication channels with the US, including one between their militaries.

“The top priority is to stabilise Sino-US relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent any accidents between China and the United States,” Mr Qin told Mr Burns, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

The tension between the two superpowers eased last November when the leaders of the US and China, Mr Joe Biden and Mr Xi Jinping, met at a G-20 summit in Indonesia and pledged more frequent dialogue.

But tensions flared again in February when a Chinese high-altitude balloon appeared in US airspace and, in response, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancelled a visit to Beijing. 

“A series of erroneous words and deeds by the United States since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-US relations,” Mr Qin said.

“The agenda of dialogue and cooperation agreed by the two sides has been disrupted, and the relationship between the two countries has once again encountered cold ice.”

Mr Burns, in a post on Twitter about his talks with Mr Qin, also spoke of the need to bring stability to the relationship. 

“We discussed challenges in the US-China relationship and the necessity of stabilising ties and expanding high-level communication,” Mr Burns said. 

Last week, Mr Blinken appeared to offer hope of a visit, telling The Washington Post that it was important to re-establish regular lines of communication at all levels.

Also last week, US climate envoy John Kerry said China had invited him to visit “in the near term” for talks on averting a global climate crisis, offering hope of resetting one of the world’s most important state-to-state relationships.

Taiwan remains the thorniest issue in Sino-US ties. In April, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. 

Since 1979, the US-Taiwan relationship has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide the island with the means to defend itself, but does not mandate that the US come to its aid if attacked. 

As a part of the 2023 budget, the US Congress has authorised up to US$1 billion (S$1.32 billion) worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to deliver arms to Ukraine. REUTERS