Chinese FM urges US to stop interfering in Beijing Winter Olympics in phone call with Blinken

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday urged the US to stop interfering in Beijing Winter Olympics and stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question while calling on all parties involved in Ukraine to remain calm and not instigate tensions.  

He made the remarks during a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to a news release posted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, report Global Times.

The US should stop interfering with the Beijing Winter Olympics, stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question and creating various anti-China "cliques," Wang stressed.

Wang said mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation are the three principles for developing China-US relations in the new era, as Chinese President Xi Jinping brought up in the virtual meeting in November with US President Joe Biden. The remarks also received a positive response from Biden. 

Citing the virtual summit, Wang said what the world sees is that the tone of US policy toward China has not changed substantially, and the US hasn't followed through on Biden's remarks.

The US continues to make wrong words and deeds related to China, which have dealt a new blow to bilateral relations, Wang noted. 

China and the US should follow through on the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries, and expand the positive aspects of bilateral cooperation, the Chinese Foreign Minister added.

Blinken said it is important that the two foreign ministers maintain regular communication, insisting that there is no change in Biden's position stated during the summit between the two heads of state.

The US and China have both overlapping interests and differences, and the US is willing to manage differences in a responsible manner. US' one-China policy has not changed, Blinken added.

The US will cheer for its athletes participating in the Beijing Winter Olympics and wish the Chinese people a happy Spring Festival, he said.

The two officials also exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine.

Wang stressed that solution to the Ukraine issue must go back to the new Minsk agreement, adding that the agreements approved by the UN Security Council form a fundamental political document recognized by all parties and should be effectively implemented. 

Wang called on all parties to remain calm and refrain from doing things that stimulate tension and hype up crisis. 

Wang noted that the security of one country should not be at the expense of the security of other countries and regional security should not be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military build-up. 

In the 21st century, all parties should completely abandon the Cold War mentality and seek a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiations. The reasonable security concerns from Russia should be taken seriously and resolved, Wang stressed.