Stern message from ambassador to Washington: China declares its "red lines" ahead of summit

China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, issued a sharp statement ahead of the high-level leaders' summit to be held in Washington, declaring that the Taiwan issue, democracy, human rights and development paths are untouchable "red lines" for Beijing. In an article published in the ruling Communist Party's official outlet, the diplomat called on the US leadership to immediately stop using fabricated pretexts such as national security and economic imbalance to restrict China's development.

"Postxronika.az" reports, citing Reuters, that this critical meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump is aimed at managing sharpening disagreements between the two sides — ranging from trade tariffs to regional security — and creating stability. The statements show the two superpowers' geopolitical interests are colliding sharply, against the backdrop of Washington's defense cooperation with Taipei and the freezing of a new $14 billion arms package.

Senior Taiwanese security officials, meanwhile, say Beijing is trying to convince the Trump administration through trade gestures such as purchasing US goods, in an effort to weaken Washington's military commitments around the island. China, for its part, reiterates that confrontation between the two states would cause serious harm to both sides, stressing that partnership is only possible within a framework of mutual respect for sovereignty.

Rəşad Hüseynov