Washington must respect Beijing’s “red lines” if both nations are to normalize communications, Chinese Foreign Minister has said
China rebukes US over Taiwan
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang address the media during a joint Press conference in the German Foreign ministry on May 9, 2023 in Berlin, Germany © Getty Images / Michele Tantussi/Getty Images
China’s foreign minister Qin Gang has reprimanded the United States’ envoy to Beijing for what he perceived as Washington’s support for Taiwan, while also saying that his country would not agree to bolster communication lines between Washington and Beijing without receiving political concessions from the White House first.
“The US should not talk about communication while continuously suppressing and containing China,” Qin said to Ambassador Nicholas Burns, according to a readout of their meeting released on Monday by China’s Foreign Ministry. “The US must not say one thing but do the opposite.”
Qin added that Washington “must respect China’s bottom lines and red lines, and stop damaging China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”
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Tensions have amplified between the US and China in recent months, in part due to both nations’ respective stances regarding Taiwan. Beijing views the island as a breakaway province which remains its sovereign territory – but, while Washington doesn’t maintain official diplomatic ties with Taipei, it has supplied its government with defensive weaponry.
Beijing was also angered by Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen being granted an audience with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during an April visit to California.
The diplomatic spat between Beijing and Washington has led to discussions between the superpowers becoming less frequent. Speaking last month at an online summit hosted by a Washington-based think tank, Burns indicated that the US and China need “deeper channels,” particularly as the militaries of both nations operate closely to one another in the South China Sea and around Taiwan.
Qin stated to Burns during their meeting that establishing stable communications between Beijing and Washington was crucial to mediating potential crises, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout. But Qin also suggested that the souring relationship was due to the US and to its violations of Beijing’s “red lines.”
https://www.rt.com/news/576020-china-us-taiwan-communications/
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
