Benzinga - Xi Jinping‘s Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Monday called to stabilize U.S.-China relations after a series of “erroneous words and deeds” caused a severe downturn in the relations.
What Happened: Qin, who met U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns in a meeting in Beijing, said the U.S. must correct its handling of the Taiwan issue and stop the hollowing out of the “one China” principle.
“A series of erroneous words and deeds by the United States since then have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations,” Qin told Burns, according to the state media Xinhua.
“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.”
“The top priority is to stabilize Sino-U.S. relations, avoid a downward spiral and prevent any accidents between China and the United States,” Qin said.
Why It Matters: The two countries experienced a significant downturn in their relations last year after former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, a democratic country that China claims sovereignty over. Xi Jinping’s administration was upset by the U.S. action and, in response, cut off official communication channels with Washington, including those between their militaries.
Although, the tension lessened in November last year when leaders Joe Biden and Xi met at a G20 summit in Indonesia and promised to hold more frequent discussions.
However, Taiwan remains the most difficult issue in China and U.S. ties. Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen met the incumbent U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
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