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Letters | Blinken’s visit to Beijing: China’s red line is clear, and the US must get the message
- Readers discuss the hopes for better US-China relations, the allegations against a Malaysian judge who convicted former prime minister Najib Razak, a critical moment in the Ukraine war, and why criticism of refugees is plain wrong
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In February, the “balloon incident” thwarted the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China. Now his visit has finally happened, with the world’s attention firmly on him from the moment he stepped out of the plane in Beijing.
Blinken was greeted at the airport by Yang Tao, head of North American and Oceanian affairs at the Chinese foreign ministry, and the US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. He then met Chinese Foreign Minister Qing Gang for talks that lasted more than five hours.
On social media, internet users quickly took note that Blinken was welcomed not with the traditional red carpet, but with red lines on the tarmac that they joked symbolised the ones Beijing was warning Washington not to cross.
To many, it’s crystal clear what China’s red line is: Taiwan. Taiwan becoming independent is altogether out of the question.
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The West must give up its “China threat” mindset, and stop repeating the accusations that China is a danger to democracy and the peace and economic prosperity of the rest of the world.
It is to be expected that China and the US – being the two great powers in the world – would be locked in fierce competition. But good and frequent communication is needed to prevent conflict that could lead to a third world war.
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