Won't be pushed around by US on trade, says China
China warned yesterday that its critical relationship with the US could break "like a glass," and used the UN General Assembly gathering of world leaders as the stage to warn Trump administration it wouldn't be pushed around on trade. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi insisted that his country "won't be blackmailed" or bow to pressure. "Unilateral moves will bring damage to all," he insisted.
US President Donald Trump this week cranked up punitive tariffs on China, and Beijing responded in kind, escalating a trade war between the two largest economies. Trump upped the ante by accusing China of meddling in the upcoming US midterm elections because it opposes his policies. However, Trump has presented little evidence to back up these allegations, which China anyway has said are untrue.
Wang, in separate remarks at a think tank, said US-China relationship was at a critical point, four decades since ties were normalized. "The relationship between our countries is a common asset. It must be preserved and valued. It's the result of generations of people's efforts," Wang said. "It's like a glass. It's easy to break it," and would be difficult to repair, he said.
Although Wang presented China as upholding multilateral institutions drawing an implicit contrast with Trump's anti-globalist stance, Beijing's top diplomat said the suspicions that China seeks global hegemony and to displace the US as a world leader is false. But the 64-year-old Wang warned it's an idea that is spreading, amplifying differences between the two countries. "This is a serious strategic misjudgment," Wang said.
Wang, the former Ambassador to Japan, defended China's assertive behavior in the South China Sea, where it has built man-made islands to reinforce its sweeping territorial claims that are disputed by its neighbors. The 64-year-old also said military facilities on those islands are for defensive purposes and to counter military activities by other nations in the area, including the United States.
Wang also defended China's recent participation in military drills with Russia that have added to US anxiety that its key strategic rivals are setting aside historical differences and teaming up against it. He said military-to-military ties are normal to build "mutual understanding."
On human rights, Wang was asked about the reported harsh treatment of Uighur Muslims in China's far west. Wang, who belongs to Communist Party of China, maintained that China had brought law and order to a region once blighted by terrorism. Trump administration is reportedly considering sanctions in response to members of the religious minority being forced into "re-education" camps on a massive scale.
