U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington, U.S.. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Trump administration will pursue a relationship with China that advances U.S. interests and puts the American people first, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

Mr. Rubio on Friday (January 25, 2024) spoke today with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang, the first call between the two diplomats since President Donald Trump’s administration took office on January 20.

 “Secretary Rubio emphasised that the Trump administration will pursue a US-PRC (People’s Republic of China) relationship that advances US interests and puts the American people first,” said the State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

Also read | China and U.S. partners are moving closer as Trump returns to the White House

“The Secretary also stressed the United States’ commitment to our allies in the region and serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan and in the South China Sea,” Ms. Bruce said.

China claims most of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.  Rubio also discussed other issues of bilateral, regional, and global importance with Mr. Wang.

In the first year of Trump’s first term, the U.S.-China ties deteriorated amid a trade war that unleashed a series of tit-for-tat tariffs.

Meanwhile, Congressman John Moolenaar,  Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and Congressman Tom Suozzi introduced the Restoring Trade Fairness Act, the first bipartisan bill that would revoke China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR).

A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Tom Cotton and Jim Banks.

This comes following President Trump’s new executive order, directing the Secretary of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to assess legislative proposals regarding Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China.

In 2000, as China prepared to enter the World Trade Organisation, Congress voted to extend PNTR status to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), hoping the Chinese Communist Party would liberalise and adopt fair trading practices.

In another development, Senator Ted Cruz introduced the Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act to protect Department of Defence installations and training areas from American adversaries.

The bill restricts the purchase of certain property by a foreign person acting for or on behalf of Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea.

“Foreign adversaries are exploiting loopholes to acquire land near our military bases and training routes, jeopardising the safety of our troops and the integrity of our operations,” Cruz said.

Congressman Dan Meuser has reintroduced the China Exchange Rate Transparency Act, legislation aimed at addressing China’s opaque and manipulative currency practices that undermine fair trade and global economic stability.

“China’s long-standing disregard for financial transparency and its manipulation of foreign exchange markets have tilted the playing field against US businesses and disrupted global economic norms,” said Meuser.

“This legislation demands accountability and insists on adherence to international standards of transparency and fairness,” he added.

The China Exchange Rate Transparency Act (CERT Act) directs the United States Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to advocate for enhanced transparency in China’s exchange rate arrangements.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, third from left, and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, fourth from right, with their delegation hold a bilateral meeting at the State Department in Washington, on October 27, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

China’s top diplomat voiced hope Thursday for more stable relations with the United States after months of turbulence as he paid a rare trip to Washington to prepare a potential visit by President Xi Jinping.

President Joe Biden has invited Xi to San Francisco next month to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, but he has also stood firm on China in the run-up, keeping up a stream of targeted sanctions and staunchly backing US allies in disputes with Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi began by meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who told his guest that he looked forward to “constructive conversations” that included a closed-door dinner.

Wang told Blinken, who paid a visit to Beijing in June, that China wanted to “reduce misunderstanding.”

China seeks to “expand common ground and pursue cooperation that will benefit both sides so that we can stabilize US-China relations and return them to the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development,” Wang said.

Acknowledging that differences will still come up, Wang said that China would respond “calmly, because we are of the view that what is right and what is wrong is not determined by who has the stronger arm or the louder voice.”

On Friday, Wang will speak at the White House with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. No meeting has been announced with Biden, but an encounter is widely expected after Xi received Blinken in Beijing.

US officials have repeatedly spoken of creating “guardrails” with China to prevent worst-case scenarios and have sought, without success, to restore contact between the two militaries.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken’s meeting with Wang was part of efforts to “maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage US-China relations,” but added: “The United States will continue to stand up for our interests and values and those of our allies and partners.”

Biden on Wednesday warned China of US treaty obligations to the Philippines, which said that Chinese vessels deliberately hit Manila’s boats in dispute-rife waters — an account contested by Beijing.

Speaking alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Biden vowed to compete with China in “every way according to the international rules — economically, politically, in other ways. But I’m not looking for conflict.”

Tensions have been particularly high over Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy claimed by Beijing which over the past year has launched major military exercises in response to actions by US lawmakers.

China’s defense ministry on Thursday accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of pushing the island toward a “dangerous situation of war.”

Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center’s Kissinger Institute on China and the United States, said Wang was likely seeking assurances that the Biden administration will not “embarrass” Xi if he comes to San Francisco, either through harsh new policies or public comments.

“They would like to have a smooth glide path and then a smooth exit from the meeting,” he said.

Daly said the two powers had very different views on what “stable” ties meant, with the United States having no intention of changing course from viewing China as a threat and applying pressure.

“By stabilization, we mean that we want to be able to do that without greatly increasing the chance of conflict,” Daly said.

“The Chinese view is that stabilization would mean America ceasing this relentless stream of provocations and insults such that China is free to focus on its extremely weak domestic economy,” he said.

The Biden administration in recent months has tightened export curbs on chips to China, stepped up military support for Taiwan and issued sanctions targeting individual Chinese over support for Iran’s drone program and over production of chemicals that make fentanyl, the painkiller behind an addiction epidemic in the United States.

The United States and China have also traded barbs over the conflict in the Middle East, where Biden has been Israel’s foremost ally.

The diplomacy with China comes as the United States enters an election season in which Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House, has made hawkish criticism of Beijing a signature policy.