(TibetanReview.net, Nov19’24) –As the upcoming Donald Trump administration prepares to go on the offensive, come Jan 20, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping has on Nov 16 laid down four “red lines” the US should not cross while meeting with the country’s outgoing President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima, Peru.
Taking the opportunity of his meeting with Biden, Xi has said he was “ready to work” with president-elect Donald Trump to improve relations and warned against decoupling and supply chain disruption.
He also gave a firm reminder of four red lines in Sino-US relations to be avoided, calling on Washington to exercise “extreme caution” regarding Taiwan, the first and most sensitive red line, and to avoid provocation in the South China Sea.
The other three red lines are democracy and human rights, China’s path and system, and the country’s rights to development.
“They must not be challenged,” businessinsider.in Nov 18 quoted Xi as saying, citing a statement after the two leaders’ meeting.
“These are the most important guardrails and safety nets for China-US relations,” Xi has said.
“China is ready to work with the new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences, so as to strive for a steady transition of the China-US relationship for the benefit of the two peoples,” the scmp.com Nov 19 quoted Xi as saying during the meeting in Lima.
Trump, on the other hand, has begun assembling a cabinet of China hawks after pledging a fresh blast of 60% tariffs at Beijing, and 20% on goods from the rest of the world, the report noted.
Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory and reiterated recently that it will never commit to renouncing the use of force over the island. The island is strategically important to the US as the world’s semiconductor chip-producing hub and a key security hub.
Xi’s comments came amid concerns that the world’s two largest economies are set to head into conflict after Trump takes office next year, said the businessinsider.in report.
Despite signs that the two superpowers could be headed for rockier times, Xi and Biden have sought to strike a conciliatory tone on bilateral ties during their meeting. They “stressed the importance of responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship” as well as preventing conflict and maintaining open lines of communication, according to a White House readout of the meeting.