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/
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Unit says Iran will consider the Israeli regime’s shelters “legitimate targets” if residential areas in the country come under attack.
In a post published on social media platform X on Tuesday, the IRGC said that any strikes on residential areas in Iran would give Iran’s armed forces the right to attack Israeli shelters in the occupied lands.
The IRGC stated that it has intelligence on the blueprints and the exact locations of these shelters.
Iran began its Operation True Promise 4 after the US and Israel launched their joint military aggression against the Islamic Republic in late February by assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and several senior Iranian officials.
In its latest wave of attacks, the IRGC said it rained down missiles on the Israeli regime’s “secure” intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv.
Iranian armed forces have also pounded American military bases and ...
In a fresh wave of retaliatory strikes, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted the Israeli regime’s “secure” intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv.
The IRGC’s Public Relations Department said in a statement on Tuesday that it had carried out the 79th wave of its ongoing retaliatory Operation True Promise 4 against the Israeli and American targets.
Deploying powerful Kheybar Shekan, Emad, and Sejjil missiles alongside IRGC Aerospace Force kamikaze drones, the operation successfully breached the regime's multi-layered air defense systems, the statement said.
The missiles, it stated, targeted Israel’s intelligence facilities in northern and central Tel Aviv, as well as military commercial and support centers in Ramat Gan and the Negev.
The missiles also hit Israel’s southern military logistics and command headquarters in Beersheba.
The missile strikes triggered widespread panic across Israel and forced the suspension of a Knesset (parliament) session on Tuesday.
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announces staging the 78th wave of its underway retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, targeting such highly sensitive Israeli targets as Dimona, Tel Aviv, and Eilat as well as several US military bases in the region.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC described the latest phase of the operation as a significant development featuring missiles raining down on enemy targets as the nation was leveling momentous support behind the Islamic Republic by attending millions-strong rallies with "clenched fists."
'A distinct record'
The latest phase, it noted, "has set a distinct record in the timeline of the war."
According to the statement, targets in the occupied port of Eilat, Dimona, a heavily fortified city that hosts the Israeli regime's notorious nuclear reactor in its vicinity, and northern Tel Aviv were struck using Emad and multi-warhead Qadr missile systems along with attack drones.
This was the second time the Corps was hitting Dimona, ...
