U.S. should stop trying to suppress China, says Wang Yi

The United States should stop trying to contain and suppress China and avoid creating obstacles to the relationship, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his US counterpart on Monday.

Wang also said in a Monday phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that export controls that Washington imposed on China severely damaged its legitimate rights and must be rectified, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.

On the call, Blinken also discussed Russia’s war against Ukraine and the threats it poses to global security and economic stability, the US Department of State said in a separate statement.

The United States has repeatedly stressed the need to maintain and keep open lines of communication between the two countries, but also recently highlighted the implications if Beijing were to support Russia’s Ukraine invasion.
Russia’s strategic partner China has been firmly on the fence on the Ukraine war, criticizing Western sanctions against Russia but stopping short of endorsing or assisting in the military campaign.

Blinken also discussed with his Chinese counterpart the need to responsibly manage US-China relations, according to the statement. The top diplomats talked about the need to “responsibly manage the competition between our two countries,” Blinken said in a tweet.

The top diplomats talked about the need to “responsibly manage the competition between our two countries,” Blinken said in a tweet. They also discussed the need for Beijing and Washington to keep open lines of communications and held talks about the war in Ukraine, the US State Department said.

Blinken “raised Russia’s war against Ukraine and the threats it poses to global security and economic stability,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, AFP reported. China has steadfastly avoided criticizing Russia for invading Ukraine and instead blames the United States and NATO for the war.

The call comes as relations between the two superpowers nosedive over Taiwan and a litany of other issues, and is the first between the diplomats since Blinken warned China was speeding up its plans to retake the democratic self-ruled island.

Beijing said Wang had raised on the call recent sanctions by the US on China aimed at limiting its access to high-end semiconductors with military uses and had called for “diplomatic efforts” in Ukraine. Last week, President Joe Biden said the United States did not seek conflict with China and President Xi Jinping said China was willing to work with the United States to find ways to get along to the benefit of both.

The remarks come ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali next month in which both leaders could potentially meet on the sidelines.

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