WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in a phone call on Friday the United States will stand up for human rights and democratic values in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, the State Department said. Yang told Blinken that the United States should “correct” its recent mistakes and that both sides must respect each other’s political systems and development paths, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. Yang told an online forum on Tuesday that he hoped relations between the two countries could return to a predictable and constructive track, but he called on the United States to “stop interfering” on issues of Chinese sovereignty, including Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin also said on Friday that “the common interests of the two countries outweighed their differences” and urged the United States to “meet China halfway” to improve relations. “But we’re ready to work with Beijing, when it’s in America’s interest to do so,” he added.

Source: Egypt Independent February 06, 2021 10:41 UTC