3 years ago
A meeting has been held between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, in Hawaii on Wednesday. This kind of high-level face-to-face talks have become rare amid tensions between the two strategic rivals.
The relationship between the two largest economies and powerful countries of the world have soured lately over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and China’s move to impose security legislation on Hong Kong in addition to the already existing trade conflicts.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Yang told Pompeo that Washington needs to respect Beijing’s positions on key issues, halt its interference on matters such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang, and work to repair relations.
Pompeo, who has been a target of Chinese diplomats and state media lately for his repeated criticism pointed out “the need for fully-reciprocal dealings between the two nations,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.“He also stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks.”
Hours after the meeting ended, China announced that its top parliamentary body will review draft Hong Kong national security legislation during a session that began on Thursday.
Earlier, foreign ministers of the G7 countries, including Pompeo, issued a statement calling on China not to follow through with the Hong Kong legislation, which critics call an assault on the territory’s democratic freedoms.
As the meeting got under way, U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation calling for sanctions against those responsible for repression of Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, prompting a threat of retaliation from Beijing.
