BEIJING (AP) – A top Chinese diplomat said on Friday that US policy towards China is “too negative” and cooperation could be critical as the Biden administration focuses on combating COVID-19 and advancing economic recovery.
The US appears to emphasize confrontation and downplay cooperation, Deputy Secretary of State Le Yucheng said in an extensive interview with The Associated Press.
“Such an approach is, I must say, too negative,” he said, adding that it does not lack a “forward-looking spirit”.
China could be a partner if Biden tackles the coronavirus and the economy, he said.
“It is hard to imagine that the two priorities could be resolved without a cooperative and healthy relationship between China and the US,” he said.
Le also said it is unlikely that China will make any new pledges at a climate change meeting hosted by President Joe Biden next week. He spoke when Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, discussed the issue on the second day from behind closed doors with Chinese counterparts in Shanghai.
Chinese President Xi Jinping announced last year that China would be carbon neutral by 2060 and aims to peak in its emissions by 2030.
“For a large country with a population of 1.4 billion, these goals are not easily met,” said Le. “Some countries are asking China to do more about climate change. I’m afraid this isn’t very realistic. “
Le said he had no details about the Kerry meetings in Shanghai.
Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Xi, to a virtual climate summit from April 22-23. The US and other countries are expected to announce more ambitious national targets for cutting emissions and pledge financial aid for climate efforts by less prosperous countries.
Le said China would convey a positive message at the meeting, but added that China is responding to climate change on its own initiative, not because others asked. As to whether Xi would participate in the summit, Le said that “the Chinese side is actively studying the issue.”
The US and China increasingly disagree on a range of issues, including human rights in Tibet and the Xinjiang region, crackdown on protest and political freedom in Hong Kong, China’s assertion of its territorial claims over Taiwan and most of the South. China Sea and allegations Beijing has been slow to inform the world of the COVID-19 outbreak that turned into a devastating pandemic.
China hoped for an improvement in relations under Biden, who succeeded President Donald Trump in January, but the new administration has shown no restraint with its tough policy on China. The two sides exchanged sharp and unusual public barbs at the start of talks in Alaska last month.
Le said the dialogue after the opening of talks in Alaska was constructive and helpful and that both sides are following up on the issues discussed.
The two countries could work together on the coronavirus response, he said, but any cooperation must be on an equal footing, a clear reference to US pressure on China on multiple fronts.
“It’s not one side that makes a laundry list of requirements on the other,” said Le. “In cooperation, one should not be selfish and only care about one’s own interests without taking into account the well-being of the other side.”
On the same day that a number of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were convicted, Le defended China’s crackdown on protests in the semi-autonomous region. He described the convicts as rioters, saying, “They deserve what they got.”
He added, “I don’t think it’s anything strange if Hong Kong somehow becomes more of a Chinese city, because Hong Kong is a part of China after all.”
The UK, US and others have accused Beijing of renouncing a commitment to run the former British colony under a so-called “one country, two systems” framework for 50 years after its 1997 handover to Chinese rule.
Le dismissed such criticisms, saying, “Hong Kong is always China’s Hong Kong and this is something that will not change.”
The deputy minister also condemned Western sanctions against companies accused of human rights and labor violations in Xinjiang. The US blocked imports from several companies operating in the region last year, adding a blanket ban on Xinjiang’s cotton and tomato products in January.
Rather than protecting workers, Le said, “the sanctions have violated human rights in Xinjiang, leading to forced unemployment and forced poverty in Xinjiang.”
He also reiterated warnings against the US government’s contact with Taiwan after Biden sent a delegation from former US officials to meet with the island’s president this week. China claims self-government Taiwan as its territory, saying that, like Hong Kong, it should be under Beijing’s control.
“The US should never try to play the Taiwan card,” said Le. “It’s very dangerous. This is our red line. The US should never try to cross it.”
US military officials have warned that China may be speeding up its timetable for taking control of Taiwan. Asked if China had a deadline, Le only said it was a “ historic process. ”