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WASHINGTON: The United States yesterday condemned Chinese moves to change Hong Kong’s electoral system and predicted “difficult” talks with Beijing’s top diplomats next week, when the genocide that Washington says China is engaging against the Muslim minority will be an issue that the American side plans to raise.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan would not hold back when they meet with Chinese diplomats in Alaska on March 18 and 19, “either in Taiwan. or … efforts to roll back democracy in Hong Kong, or about the concerns we have about the economic relationship. “
“Addressing the genocide against Uighur Muslims is something that will be a topic of discussion with the Chinese directly next week,” he added.
China rejects US accusations of having committed genocide against Uighurs and other Muslims in its Xinjiang region and criticizes its behavior towards Hong Kong and the unjustified interference of Taiwan in its internal affairs.
The Chinese parliament yesterday approved a draft decision to change Hong Kong’s electoral system, further reducing democratic representation in the city’s institutions and introducing a mechanism to examine politicians’ loyalty to Beijing.
State Department spokesman Ned Price called the changes “a direct attack on Hong Kong’s autonomy, its freedoms and democratic processes.”
“There will be some tough talks that I would look forward to,” he said, referring to the talks Blinken and Sullivan plan to have in Anchorage with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi, the first high-level in-person contacts. between the two sparring countries under the Biden administration. {nL1N2L825Q]
Price said Washington will explore areas for cooperation with China where it is in the US ‘interest, including climate change, but called on Beijing to change if it wants to improve the deteriorating relationship.
“We are not looking to engage in talks for the sake of talks,” he said.
“We are looking to Beijing … to demonstrate that seriousness of purpose, to show that it seeks to live up to its own often expressed desire to change the tone of the bilateral relationship.”
President Joe Biden’s administration has pledged to review elements of US policies toward China as the world’s two largest economies navigate relationships that sank to their lowest point in decades under Donald Trump’s presidency.
Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first phone call as leaders last month and appeared to disagree on most issues, even as Xi warned that the confrontation would be a “disaster” for both nations.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday that China and the United States have common interests and many areas of cooperation, and Beijing hopes that ties will develop in a healthy way on the basis of mutual respect for fundamental interests, cooperation of mutual benefit and non-interference in internal affairs. . – Reuters
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