China has warned the United States that Taiwan, democracy and human rights are among issues Beijing considers “red lines” ahead of high-level talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington this week.
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng outlined Beijing’s position in an article published Wednesday in the Communist Party’s People’s Daily. Xie said China’s sovereignty, security and development interests must not be violated and identified four areas Beijing considers off limits: Taiwan, democracy and human rights, political and development systems, and China’s right to development.
The warning comes as Xi begins a U.S. state visit running from September 23 to 25. Xi and Trump are expected to discuss a broad range of issues affecting U.S.-China relations, including trade, artificial intelligence, supply chains and geopolitical tensions. Chinese officials have said they want the meetings to strengthen dialogue while managing differences between the two countries.
Taiwan is expected to be one of the most sensitive subjects. Beijing considers the democratically governed island part of China and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control, while Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims. The United States does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is required under U.S. law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Xi is expected to press Trump to curb U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, with Beijing likely to invoke a 1982 U.S.-China communiqué in which Washington said it intended to gradually reduce such sales. However, a Reagan-era memorandum stated that reductions were conditional on China maintaining a peaceful approach toward Taiwan. The United States has also maintained through its Six Assurances that it did not establish a deadline for ending arms sales to the island.
The Trump administration approved an $11-billion arms package for Taiwan in December, while another package estimated at roughly $14 billion has remained on hold. Trump said after meeting Xi in Beijing in May that the delayed package represented a negotiating tool. Reuters has reported that Beijing is also seeking a halt to deliveries of weapons Taiwan has already ordered.
Xie also accused Washington of using issues such as national security, trade imbalances and forced labour to constrain China’s development. He argued that cooperation between the two powers benefits both countries, while confrontation damages both sides. The comments underscore the major disagreements facing Trump and Xi as they seek to stabilize relations during this week’s Washington meetings.
