China urges US to avoid ‘red lines’ after reaching trade truce
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China called on the US to avoid four sensitive issues so a trade truce sealed between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping can hold.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON – China called on the US to avoid four sensitive issues so a trade truce sealed between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping can hold, highlighting the broad array of disagreements that will test ties.
Ambassador to the US Xie Feng named Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China’s political system, and development rights as Beijing’s four red lines, adding: “The most important thing is to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns.”
Mr Xie made the remarks in a virtual speech to a US-China Business Council event, according to a statement from the Chinese embassy on Nov 4.
He added that “the pressing priority is to follow up on the consensus reached between” Mr Xi, Mr Trump and their officials, “to reassure both our countries and the world economy with concrete actions and outcomes”.
Whether it comes to conflicts over tariffs, industry or technology, Mr Xie warned that “all will lead to nothing but a dead end”.
On Nov 4, the Wall Street Journal reported that opposition from senior US officials convinced Mr Trump to refrain from discussing next-generation artificial intelligence chips with Mr Xi.
The report, which cites current and former administration officials, said they argued that making the Blackwell chip available to China posed a national security issue.
The comments offer a reminder of the many ways that the one-year truce reached on Oct 30
It also shows that while Taiwan’s status did not come up in talks
China views Taiwan as lost territory that must be brought under its control someday – by force if necessary – a stance Taipei rejects.
On Oct 31, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth voiced serious concerns in talks with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun about Beijing’s naval activity around Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Mr Hegseth later said the two sides agreed to establish direct communication between their militaries to help avoid conflict.
The US and China have also pointedly disagreed in recent years about human rights issues in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet.
US officials such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have additionally called on China to rebalance its economy towards domestic consumption, a shift that could ease tensions over a large trade imbalance caused by the Asian nation’s exports.
The discussions between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, did not resolve Beijing’s push to gain access to the most advanced American semiconductors.
Mr Trump has said he and Mr Xi talked about Nvidia’s access to China in general, and that the company would continue conversations with Beijing.
Professor David Daokui Li, a regular policy adviser to Beijing, has said that Mr Xi’s agreement with Mr Trump was a breakthrough in the bilateral relationship because the Asian giant was now treated as an “equal partner” of the US.
Speaking to Bloomberg TV on Nov 3, Prof Li described a sense of enthusiasm among his peers in Beijing following the leaders’ meeting.
Prof Li, an economics professor at Tsinghua University and a former adviser to the Chinese central bank, expressed optimism that trade, financial and tech conflicts between the two sides were “small potatoes” that would be resolved. BLOOMBERG
