China’s ambassador to the United States has warned that Beijing has several “red lines” that Washington must not cross, including Taiwan, human rights and China’s development interests, ahead of a planned summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
In an article published in the Communist Party’s official People’s Daily on Wednesday, Ambassador Xie Feng said managing differences between the two countries required good faith and mutual respect.
He urged the United States to stop using what Beijing described as pretexts, including national security, economic imbalances and forced labour, to constrain China.
“When China and the US cooperate, both benefit, but when they confront each other, both suffer,” Xie said.
He said China’s sovereignty, security and development interests could not be violated, identifying four areas that Beijing considers non-negotiable: Taiwan, democracy and human rights, development paths and political systems, and development rights.
“China is committed to pursuing peaceful development and hopes the US will move towards this as well,” he said.
The warning comes ahead of Xi’s planned visit to Washington for talks with Trump, with both sides seeking greater stability in a relationship strained by disputes over trade, Taiwan and other issues.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory despite the objections of the democratically elected government in Taipei. The United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but remains its most important arms supplier and international backer.
Xie described high-level diplomacy as a “steady hand” in managing China-US relations, adding that differences between the two countries should not be feared.
A separate commentary published in the People’s Daily accused the US of having what it called “erroneous” perceptions of China and refusing to abandon the idea of strategic competition.
The commentary said these factors were the “fundamental cause” of recurring difficulties in bilateral relations, while urging both sides to preserve what it described as favourable momentum in ties.
It also called on Washington to maintain consistency and stability in its policies, honour its commitments and bring greater certainty to China-US relations.
