China stated that any attempt to exert pressure on Beijing would fail

Any attempts to exert pressure on China and interfere in its internal affairs will fail. This was stated by Yang Jiechi, head of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China, at a meeting with Jake Sullivan, Assistant to the U.S. President for National Security.

He noted that the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong “belong to the most important interests of the Chinese side.” “These are internal Chinese affairs that will not tolerate outside interference. Any attempts to put pressure on the PRC under this pretext will fail,” Yang Jiechi said.

“Both sides need to learn lessons from history, firmly adhere to the principle of mutual respect and, while firmly adhering to the basic line of peaceful coexistence, grasp the opportunity for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Yang Jiechi added.

The U.S. administration’s actions toward Taiwan contradict their rhetoric.

“The current U.S. administration has pledged to follow the one-China principle and not support Taiwan’s independence. However, its actions are clearly inconsistent with this rhetoric,” Jiechi noted.

U.S. President Joe Biden has previously stated that his administration does not want to start a new Cold War, does not seek to change China’s political order, and will not create blocs in the international arena against the PRC. “We hope that the U.S. side will keep these promises by President Biden,” he added.

In February, the U.S. administration approved services and equipment sales to Taiwan for technical “support, maintenance and improvement” of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. The deal is worth $100 million. China protested the deliveries and announced sanctions against Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin, the U.S. contractors on the deal.

Cooperation between China and the U.S. in the current international environment is in the interests of both sides, Yang Jiechi said.

“In the current international situation, strengthening dialogue and cooperation between China and the U.S., properly controlling and managing differences, and avoiding conflict is in the interests of both peoples of the two countries and the expectations of the international community and people around the world,” he said.

Jiechi said the two sides need to implement the consensus reached earlier by the two heads of state on resolving differences and strengthening cooperation, and help create conditions for China-US relations to return to “the right path of normal and stable development.”