Beijing warns US there ‘is no room to compromise’ on Taiwan

China today warned the US it must choose between “cooperation or conflict” and said there is “no room for compromise” over Taiwan during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his last day of a trip aimed at improving the heavily tensioned tires.

Blinken and Wang Yi, China’s top foreign policy official, spoke for three hours Monday at the ornate state guest house in the old Diaoyutai Gardens, according to a foreign ministry official.

Neither Washington nor Beijing have confirmed a meeting between Blinken and Xi, China’s most powerful leader in decades, whose meeting with President Joe Biden in Bali in November raised tentative hopes of a thaw in the relationship.

But US diplomats see a meeting with Xi likely.

“The secretary of state’s trip to Beijing this time comes at a critical time in China-US relations,” Wang told Blinken, according to a readout from China’s state broadcaster CCTV.

“It is necessary to make a choice between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation or conflict,” he said.

“We must reverse the downward spiral of China-US relations, push for a return to a healthy and stable track, and work together to find a correct way for China and the United States to interact.” Wang added.

He also warned about Taiwan, the self-governing democracy Beijing claims.

In the past year, China has conducted live military exercises near the island twice in anger at actions by leading US lawmakers.

“At this point, China has no room to compromise or give in,” Wang told Blinken, according to CCTV.

“The United States must truly adhere to the One China principle reaffirmed in the three joint US-China communiqués, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and clearly oppose ‘Taiwan independence’.”

Before their meeting, Blinken and Wang smiled politely for the cameras and exchanged pleasantries.

They then went to a meeting with their assistants, who, unlike their bosses, wore masks in accordance with Covid-19 protocols.

Tensions between the world’s two largest economies have skyrocketed in recent years, ranging from trade and technology to Taiwan.

US officials say they didn’t expect major breakthroughs from Blinken’s talks, but they hope to reopen regular lines of communication to prevent mishaps from escalating into conflict.

Both countries said on Sunday that Qin accepted an offer to make a return visit to Washington at a later date.

On Sunday, Blinken had a seven-and-a-half-hour meeting with Foreign Minister Qin Gang — longer than expected — with the two sides agreeing to continue communications.

Talks with Qin were “candid, substantive and constructive,” said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Blinken stressed “the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open communication channels across the range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation,” Miller added.

Behind closed doors, Qin told Blinken that relations between the United States and China are “at their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations,” according to CCTV.

“This is not in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples, nor does it meet the common expectations of the international community,” Qin said during the talks.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the discussions went beyond the usual topics of conversation.

“This was a real conversation,” he said.