China accuses US ambassador of supporting Taiwan and seeks concessions in return for improved communication channels

With U.S. and Chinese militaries operating in close proximity in the South China Sea and waters around Taiwan, the lack of reliable communication channels in the event of an accident or crisis has become a top concern for U.S. officials involved in U.S.-China relations question.

According to a transcript, Burns said at a think tank event this month that the U.S. believes it is necessary to improve and deepen communication channels between the Chinese and U.S. governments, and that the U.S. side is ready for talks.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the U.S. was seeking to establish a “China-U.S. hotline” aimed at managing the crisis, but the effort was resisted by China. In the eyes of Chinese officials, such hotlines provide cover for the United States to continue what it considers provocative military operations in China’s backyard.

From one perspective, the meeting between Qin Gang and Burns could be seen as a sign of progress, given that communication between the US and China has been so limited recently. Although the two had met before, this was their first meeting since Qin Gang became China’s foreign minister. In the Chinese press release, Qin Gang stated that the top priority is to stabilize Sino-US relations and prevent accidents between China and the United States. He did not elaborate further.

In a tweet, Burns confirmed the meeting with Qin Gang and said the two discussed “the need to stabilize U.S.-China relations and expand high-level communications.”

Qin Gang was promoted to China’s foreign minister in December after serving as China’s ambassador to the United States. Qin Gang blamed the turmoil in Sino-US relations on the United States. This is in line with recent comments by some other Chinese officials, who have also been strongly critical of the United States. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has personally complained that the United States is trying to contain China.

Qin Gang said that a series of wrong words and deeds by the US side have undermined the hard-won positive momentum in Sino-US relations. He expressed the hope that the U.S. side will reflect deeply and meet China halfway to push Sino-U.S. relations out of the predicament and back on track.

The Taiwan issue is the most sensitive issue between the US and China. Beijing says the democratic self-governing island is part of Chinese territory. While there is no official relationship between the United States and the Taiwanese government, the United States has long supplied arms to Taiwan as a defense against Chinese attack. Recent high-profile support for Taiwan by U.S. politicians has led China to question U.S. intentions with regard to Taiwan. The Chinese government has never ruled out the possibility of taking Taiwan by force.

China was angered by a recent meeting between U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California. In response, China has conducted live-fire military exercises near Taiwan.

Qin Gang said that the United States must respect China’s bottom line and red line, and stop undermining China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.

U.S.-China diplomatic troubles also included the U.S. shooting down a suspected Chinese spy balloon floating over the U.S. in February. The incident led U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned visit to Beijing that was supposed to help stabilize bilateral relations.

While U.S.-China relations have soured, Xi has taken other steps to advance China’s diplomacy as three years of disruptions to China’s foreign engagement caused by the coronavirus pandemic have been resolved.

Several world leaders have met with Mr. Xi recently, including French President Emmanuel Macron, who paid a state visit to China in April. Some U.S. and European officials are considering whether China could also play a role in promoting peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Next week, the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will all visit China and attend a Central Asia summit aimed at strengthening China’s ties with the region. Separately, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday that Qin Gang will travel to Europe this week to meet with the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Norway.

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