Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi called on Washington to “work with China” to improve ties at a meeting with Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The discussion on the sidelines of Southeast Asia talks in Jakarta on Thursday was the latest in a series of high-level interactions as the two sides seek to ease trade and geopolitical tensions.
At their second meeting in less than a month, Blinken raised concerns about alleged Chinese cybersecurity threats after Microsoft said state-backed Chinese hackers hacked US government agency email accounts, including that of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
Wang is known as a “wolf warrior diplomat,” a confrontational negotiation style popular with the Chinese Communist Party.
Washington “must take a rational and pragmatic approach and work with China in the same direction,” Wang told Blinken in a statement from the State Department in Beijing on Friday.
Beijing’s top diplomat Wang Yi called on Washington to “work with China” to improve ties at a meeting with Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday
He urged the United States to stop interfering in China’s affairs.
“Wang outlined China’s strict position on the Taiwan issue and urged the US to avoid wanton interference in China’s internal affairs,” the ministry said.
He also called on the United States to “stop suppressing China’s economy, trade, science and technology and lift illegal and unjustified sanctions against China.”
Tensions between the United States and China have increased in recent years over a range of issues, including trade, US military support for Taiwan, Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea and its good relationship with Russia.
China regards self-governing Taiwan as part of its territory.
Washington has curbed exports of advanced semiconductors to China, and Beijing recently responded by restricting exports of gallium and germanium, two metals commonly used to make semiconductors and electric vehicles.
The discussion between the top diplomats did not result in a breakthrough but was “frank, pragmatic and constructive,” the Chinese foreign ministry said, adding that both sides “agreed to maintain communication.”
The State Department discovered a vulnerability in Microsoft’s cloud last month. The only two law enforcement agencies known to have had emails hacked are the Commerce Department and the State Department.
The discussion on the sidelines of Southeast Asia talks in Jakarta on Thursday was the latest in a series of high-level interactions as the two sides seek to ease trade and geopolitical tensions
Washington “must take a rational and pragmatic approach and work with China in the same direction,” Wang told Blinken in a statement from the State Department in Beijing on Friday
Chinese cyberspies hacked into Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s emails – and had access for about a month before being spotted and blocked
The targeted cyber espionage campaign has been toned down. However, the hackers had access to the email accounts for about a month before they were blocked.
Nine US organizations fell victim to the cyberattack, with each organization having some email accounts compromised, a senior Department of Homeland Security official said.
Microsoft states that a total of 25 organizations were hacked worldwide.
“US government security efforts have identified an intrusion into Microsoft’s cloud security that affected unclassified systems,” Adam Hodges, spokesman for the National Security Council, told the Post.
“Officials immediately contacted Microsoft to find the source and vulnerability in their cloud service,” he added. “We continue to place U.S. government procurement service providers on a high safety margin.”
The discovery of the hack coincided with Foreign Minister Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing last month.
Beijing has openly advocated for Raimondo’s Commerce Ministry to impose strict export controls on Chinese companies, which the CCP says is a malicious oppressive tactic.
An FBI investigation into this matter is ongoing.
Trade tensions have persisted since the Trump administration continued to impose tariffs on Chinese products
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken (left) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who accused the US of “not fair competition but malicious confrontation” in March.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken walks after his arrival in Beijing, China, June 18, 2023. The Biden administration hopes to smooth over ties after a tense period
A person familiar with the matter said it does not appear that email accounts belonging to Pentagon, intelligence or military officials have been affected.
Microsoft announced late Tuesday that it had mitigated a spying and data-stealing attack by a “China-based threat actor” against government agencies in Western Europe.
Blinken met Wang last month during the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China in five years.
Despite Blinken’s presence in China, he and other US officials had downplayed the prospects of significant breakthroughs on the toughest problems facing the world’s two largest economies.
Instead, Blinken and other officials have stressed the importance of the US and China building and maintaining better lines of communication.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken began a second and final day of critical meetings with senior Chinese officials on Monday, during which both sides expressed a willingness to talk but showed little willingness to compromise
The two sides said Qin accepted an invitation from Blinken to visit Washington, but Beijing made it clear that “China-US relations are at the lowest point since their inception.” This opinion is broadly shared by US officials.
The State Department said Blinken “emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication in all areas to reduce the risk of misperception and misjudgment.”
The Chinese, meanwhile, reiterated their position that the current state of relations “does not serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples or meet the shared expectations of the international community,” according to the foreign ministry.
Biden and Xi have pledged to improve communications “precisely to ensure we communicate as clearly as possible to avoid possible misunderstandings and miscommunications,” Blinken said before leaving for Beijing.
Then, earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled to China, and Climate Commissioner John Kerry will be visiting next week.