On Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry questioned the US’s sincerity in its calls for more communication and engagement with Beijing after President Biden said he expected a “thaw” between the two nations.
“China and the US maintain necessary communication. However, now the US says it wants to speak to the Chinese side while seeking to suppress China through all possible means and impose sanctions on Chinese officials, institutions and companies. Is there any sincerity in and significance of any communication like this?” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
President Biden made his comments on Sunday during the final day of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan. He was asked if the US was considering lifting sanctions on China’s new defense minister to pave the way for more communication between the US and Chinese militaries and said the issue was “under negotiation.”
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu was appointed to his post in March. Li was targeted with US sanctions while he was the head of China’s Equipment Development Department over its purchase of Russian SU-35 fighter aircraft and S-400 air defense systems from Russia.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday called for the US to “immediately lift sanctions and take concrete actions to remove obstacles, create favorable atmosphere and conditions for dialogue and communication.”
Source: AntiWar.
