GPS News
TRADE WARS
Blinken, China's Wang discuss Russia, US sanctions
Blinken, China's Wang discuss Russia, US sanctions
by AFP Staff Writers
Munich, Germany (AFP) Feb 17, 2024

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised concerns over Beijing's backing for Russia's war against Ukraine on Friday in talks with China's top diplomat Wang Yi, who called for Washington to lift sanctions on Chinese entities.

Blinken and Wang's meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference follows an extremely fraught period between the two giants over issues including Taiwan, trade and human rights.

Washington and Beijing have also been at odds over China's detente with Russia as Moscow wages war in Ukraine.

But tensions have eased markedly over the past year as Washington pursued dialogue with Beijing.

Blinken underlined the "importance of continuing to implement the progress made" at a November summit between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

He also raised the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, the spokesman added.

Wang echoed Blinken's sentiments about the Biden-Xi summit, saying both sides needed to work to "promote a sound, steady and sustainable development of bilateral relations", according to a readout from China's foreign ministry.

The ministry said the two held "candid, substantive and constructive discussions", with Wang calling on the United States to "lift illegal unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals".

Wang also urged the US to "stop unwarranted harassment and interrogation of Chinese citizens and to promote activities that enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples," the ministry said.

- Russia fears -

On Russia, Blinken raised US concerns that Moscow was developing a space-based anti-satellite weapon -- an issue he also brought up at a separate meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Washington publicly addressed the "space-based" weapon on Thursday, with Moscow denying the assertions as "malicious" and "unfounded".

At meetings with Wang and Jaishankar, Blinken "emphasised that the pursuit of this capability should be a matter of concern", said the US official, adding he planned to raise the issue at Munich Security Conference meetings.

While Beijing still resents US measures such as the banning of exports of advanced semiconductors, relations between the two giants have stabilised somewhat since Biden met Xi in San Francisco in November.

Making good on a commitment made during the summit, a US delegation held an inaugural meeting in February in China on the flow of fentanyl, the powerful painkiller behind an addiction epidemic in the United States.

US officials believe China wants to focus on economic headwinds at home and that it acted with relative moderation during last month's elections in Taiwan.

Related Links
Global Trade News

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TRADE WARS
France, Germany block EU deal on scaled-back app worker law
Brussels (AFP) Feb 16, 2024
France and Germany on Friday refused to back a watered-down agreement on controversial EU rules covering app workers in the gig economy, European diplomats said. The European Union's objective was to bring in bloc-wide rules that supporters hoped would improve conditions for app workers in the gig economy by reclassifying some as employed. But the latest text scaled back those efforts, by scrapping any formal list of criteria and letting states decide how to classify workers. For any approva ... read more

TRADE WARS
Study Highlights Excessive Strain on Planetary Boundaries by Global Food System

Smart agriculture: Farming in the digital age

Tajikistan wants to stockpile food over climate change

Fixing food could produce trillions in annual benefits: report

TRADE WARS
US to give GlobalFoundries $1.5bln to boost domestic chip production

Nvidia quarterly profit soars on demand for AI chips

Technique could improve the sensitivity of quantum sensing devices

Magnesium protects tantalum, a promising material for making qubits

TRADE WARS
Singapore to require gradual use of low-carbon jet fuel from 2026

Boeing says ready for competition with China-made plane

No need for climate 'flight shame', Swedish govt says

Made-in-China airliner seeks buyers at Singapore Airshow

TRADE WARS
Cheap mini-EVs sparkle in China's smaller, poorer cities

Tesla's German factory expansion plans suffer setback

Chinese EV giant BYD expects record net profit for 2023

Volkswagen cars blocked by US customs

TRADE WARS
Attacked ship catches fire in Gulf of Aden near Yemen

Youth appetite for gold rises as Chinese economy loses lustre

China shares end higher as central bank cuts key rate

Huthi missile attack damages British-owned ship off Yemen

TRADE WARS
New mayor hopes trees will cool Athens down

Amazon rainforest may face tipping point by 2050: study

China-funded nickel hub stoking deforestation on Indonesia island: report

Pacific kelp forests are far older that we thought

TRADE WARS
ASIA-AQ Mission: A Multidimensional Approach to Understanding Air Pollution

Esri Unveils Landsat Explorer: A New Era in Satellite Imagery Analysis

New Deep Learning Approach to Boost Aerosol Measurement Accuracy in Space

Meet NASA's Twin Spacecraft Headed to the Ends of the Earth

TRADE WARS
Researchers unveil novel technique for creating atomically thin nanoscrolls

MIT.nano equipment to accelerate innovation in "tough tech" sectors

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.