New Delhi: Beijing has once again criticised the Indo-Pacific strategic framework being promoted by America in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, and said it is designed to contain China.
Blinken had telephoned Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
During the call, which took place Tuesday, Washington “underscored the need to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
While the US side issued a two-line readout of the call, the Chinese side released multiple statements, with a more detailed outline of the conversation between the two.
“I spoke with People’s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. I underscored the need to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Blinken said in a tweet.
I spoke with People's Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. I underscored the need to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 22, 2022
The US Department of State’s readout of the call said Blinken and Wang Yi spoke about “developments in the DPRK (North Korea) and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Secretary underscored the need to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The Chinese statements were harsher, and vociferous against the Indo-Pacific strategy. They said the US has not kept its promise of having a smooth relationship with Beijing, and in fact, has become more aggressive against China.
“Wang pushed back on the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, which it said has publicly listed China as the top regional challenge, and tried to include the strategy of using Taiwan to contain China into the US regional strategy, which is obviously sending a wrong signal of beleaguering and containing China,” said a statement issued by the Chinese State Council.
The State Council statement also said that during the call, Wang urged Blinken to stand by the promise made by US President Joe Biden and “honour the commitments made by them”.
“China urges the US side to take concrete actions to honour the commitments made by President Biden, Wang noted, adding that Washington cannot say one thing yet do the opposite, eat their words or show no credibility,” the statement said.
The Chinese foreign minister was referring to the summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Biden that took place in November 2021, when the US reiterated its commitment to the ‘One China’ policy. Both leaders had then also discussed the Indo-Pacific strategy and the US’ adherence to “freedom of navigation and safe overflight” in the region.
According to the statement released by the Chinese State Council Tuesday, China has also told Washington that it will “stay true” to its commitment of bettering bilateral ties between the US and China.
Wang also expressed hope that the US “will stay true to the original aspiration of breaking ice between China and the United States, return to a rational and pragmatic perception of China and jointly push bilateral relations back onto the right track for healthy and stable development”.
“For his part, Blinken said that as President Biden has said many times, the United States does not seek a new Cold War or to change China’s system, adding it opposes Taiwan independence and has no intention of conflict or confrontation with China,” the State Council statement claimed.
China ‘closely monitoring’ Ukraine tensions
On the deepening of crisis between Russia and Ukraine, China informed the US that it is “monitoring” the developments “closely”.
Like India, China has also called for restraint by all parties and stressed on the need for diplomatic solutions. It has also maintained a stoic silence over Moscow’s declaration of the two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent republics, which has facilitated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to move in troops there, giving rise to fears of a full-fledged war.
This move by Putin has also invited a slew of stringent economic sanctions on Russia by the US, UK, European Union and Australia.
“Blinken briefed Wang Yi on the US views and position on the current situation in Ukraine. Wang Yi noted that China is monitoring the Ukraine situation closely, and emphasised China’s consistent position on the Ukraine issue,” said another statement issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry Tuesday.
“He said that the legitimate security concerns of any country must be respected, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be upheld.”
The ministry stated, “What has happened on the Ukraine issue has much to do with the long delay in the effective implementation of the Minsk II agreements. China will continue to engage all parties according to the merits of the matter itself”.
“The situation in Ukraine is deteriorating. China once again calls on all parties to exercise restraint, appreciate the importance of implementing the principle of indivisible security, and de-escalate the situation and resolve differences through dialogue and negotiation,” it added.
The Minsk I and II agreements, which were facilitated by France and Germany in 2014 and 2015, lay down a diplomatic solution to avoid a large-scale conflict in Europe. These agreements were put in place after Russian forces attacked and occupied Ukraine’s Donbas region.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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