In Luxembourg, top US & China officials discuss ways to avoid 'miscalculation'

Washington [US], June 14 : National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan met with Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Luxembourg on Monday where the two sides discussed ways to avoid reducing misunderstanding and avoiding miscalculations amid rising tension between the two countries over Taiwan and other issues.
This meeting, which followed their May 18 phone call, included a candid discussion of a number of regional and global security issues, as well as key issues in US-China relations.
"Sullivan underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries," the White House said in a statement.
According to the Xinhua News agency, the two sides conducted in-depth and constructive communication on China-US relations, as well as other issues of common concern.
The two sides agreed that maintaining unimpeded channels for communication is necessary and beneficial.
Yang, who is the Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, noted that US President Joe Biden has repeatedly told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the US does not seek a new Cold War or aim to change China's system.
"For some time, however, the US side has been insisting on further containing and suppressing China in an all-round way. Such acts, instead of helping the United States solve its own problems, have plunged China-U.S. relations into a very difficult situation and severely damaged the exchanges and cooperation in bilateral areas," Yang said.
China-US relations are at a critical crossroads, noted Yang. The Chinese side is ready to work together with the US side to explore ways and methods to realize this vision, yet China firmly opposes using competition to define bilateral ties, Yang said.
He said the US side should correct its strategic perceptions of China, make the right choices, and translate President Biden's commitments into concrete actions, working together with the Chinese side in the same direction and concretely implementing the important consensus reached by the two heads of state.
The Chinese diplomat stressed the Taiwan question concerns the political foundation of China-U.S. relations which, unless handled properly, will have a subversive impact.
The risk does not only exist but will escalate as the US attempts to contain China with the Taiwan question, and as the Taiwan authorities rely on the US to seek its "independence," he added.
The US side should not have any misjudgments or illusions, Yang said, adding that it must abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations in the three China-US joint communiques and handle the Taiwan question in a prudent and proper way.
Yang also stated China's solemn position on issues concerning Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet, the South China Sea, as well as human rights and religion.
The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues such as Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.