Beijing: Day after the White House said that US President Joe Biden is committed to stopping China’s economic abuses, Beijing on Tuesday said that it “hopes” that the new US administration will “learn a lesson” from the previous Donald Trump administration.
Speaking at the regular press briefing, Zhao Lijian, Ministry of Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, said, “We hope the new US administration will learn from the Trump administration’s lessons where they carried out the wrong policies on China. We hope the new administration will view China and China-US relations in an objective and rational manner, implement China policies that are positive and constructive, meet with China half way, focus on cooperation, manage differences, and bring China-US relations back on the right track of sound and stable development.”
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, said that Washington has seen over the last few years that China is growing more authoritarian at home, challenging security and prosperity abroad.
“We’re committed to — the President is committed to stopping China’s economic abuses on many fronts, and the most effective way to do that is through working in concert with our allies and partners to do exactly that,” she added.
She said that Washington is in “serious competition” with Beijing and added that the Chinese Government is engaged in conduct that it “hurts American workers, blunts our technological edge, and threatens our alliances and our influence in international organizations.”
“What we’ve seen over the last few years is that China is growing more authoritarian at home and more assertive abroad. And Beijing is now challenging our security, prosperity, and values in significant ways that require a new US approach.”
The President’s view is that the US needs to play a “better defence” that must include holding China accountable for its unfair and illegal practices and making sure that American technologies aren’t facilitating China’s military build-up, the White House secretary said.
Under the Trump administration, ties between the two countries had deteriorated over issues such as human rights violations in Xinjiang, encroachment on the special status of Hong Kong, accusations of unfair trade practices by Beijing, lack of transparency concerning the pandemic and China’s military aggression in various parts of the world.