China demands US lift ‘illegal unilateral sanctions’ — RT World News
The country's foreign minister warned that “decoupling from China” would ultimately backfire on Washington
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lift sanctions on companies in the country when the two met on the sidelines of the 60th Munich Security Conference on Friday.
This meeting is the latest in a series of high-level talks since US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in November last year. Shortly after their summit, the US leader sparked anger in China when he stated that he stood by an earlier comment in which he described his Chinese counterpart as a “rebel.” “dictator” In response to a journalist's question.
The two countries ended 2023 with an uneasy detente after a year that brought US panic over alleged Chinese spy balloons and US technology sanctions that restricted China's access to advanced chip-making tools and artificial intelligence processors. The two countries are also engaged in an increasing military rivalry.
Wang said that the pursuit of a goal “Separation from China” This will ultimately backfire on the United States, as stated by the press office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. He called on Washington to lift the sanctions “Illegal unilateral sanctions” against Chinese companies and individuals and not to undermine China's legitimate right to development.
Most of the recent sanctions against China were imposed in 2018, when former President Donald Trump's administration banned US agencies from using equipment and services from Chinese telecom giant Huawei, fearing that the company was facilitating espionage.
Tensions escalated further in October 2022, when the Biden administration announced new restrictions on the sale of semiconductor technology to China, a move aimed at blocking Beijing's access to critical technologies.
While speaking with his Chinese counterpart on Friday, Blinken raised concerns about China's alleged support for Russia's military industrial base. In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on several companies in China over what Washington claims is aid provided to the Russian military amid the conflict in Ukraine.
China has repeatedly denied US allegations that it is considering arming Russia. Since the outbreak of conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022, China has consistently called for a peaceful solution to the crisis. Beijing has also pushed back against Western pressure to join sanctions on Moscow, while instead strengthening economic cooperation with Russia. Chinese customs data shows that trade volume between the two countries grew by 26.6% last year, reaching a record level of $240 billion.
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