Ahead of Xi-Biden summit, China asks US to stop supporting 'Taiwan independence'
Beijing: Ahead of the virtual summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden next week, Beijing on Saturday asked Washington to stop support for Taiwan's independence, and said the two countries should meet halfway to repair the bilateral ties.
Xi will hold a virtual meeting with Biden on Tuesday morning, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Saturday.
The presidents will exchange opinions on China-US relations and issues of common concern, Hua said.
Xi and Biden have so far had two lengthy phone conversations this year as part of an effort to ensure stability in one of the world's most consequential and fraught relationships.
Ahead of the Xi-Biden meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said
China and the US should meet each other halfway to ensure a successful virtual summit between their two leaders and bring bilateral ties back to the right track.
Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation
with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
On Taiwan, which China claims as part of its mainland, Wang said that the history and the reality have proved that "Taiwan independence" is the biggest threat to the peace and stability of the region.
Any support to "Taiwan independence" will damage regional peace and eventually cause damage to itself, Wang said.
He urged the US to state its opposition to any "Taiwan independence" moves clearly and firmly uphold the commitments made in the three China-US joint communiques.
He also called on the US to stick to its one-China policy with concrete actions instead of sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.
Blinken was quoted by the official media here as saying that both sides are fully prepared for the summit as it will garner great attention around the world.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden will discuss with President Xi ways to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and China, as well as ways to work together where our interests align.
Throughout, President Biden will make clear US intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about our concerns with the PRC, Psaki said in a statement.
