China earlier this month imposed export restrictions on the two main chip metals.
China does not want a trade war with the United States (US), but Beijing insists it will be ready to respond to any sanctions restrictions imposed by the US on Chinese products, further on technology and trade, said Chinese ambassador to the US, Xie Feng.
Ambassador Xie Feng criticized US restrictions on the sale of microchips and chip-making equipment to China imposed last year by the Biden administration. Beijing describes the move as part of an effort to contain China’s growth.
“China does not shy away from competition, but the definition of competition by the US side seems unfair to me,” Xie said Wednesday at the Aspen Security Forum, a security and foreign policy conference in Aspen, Colorado.
“The United States is trying to win by pushing China aside,” he said, referring to moves to curb sales of US technology to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei over security concerns.
“It’s like limiting the other party from wearing an out-of-date swimsuit in a swimming contest, while you yourself are wearing a Speedo,” he says.
China earlier this month imposed export restrictions on two key metals used in computer chips and solar cells. The restriction is a move widely seen as retaliation for US restrictions on microchips. Earlier this year, Beijing restricted sales of products from Micron Inc, the largest US maker of memory chips.
“It’s definitely not our hope of getting a reply,” Xie said. “We don’t want a trade war, a technology war. We want to say goodbye to the Iron Curtain, and also the Silicon Curtain.”
Xie’s comments come as Washington and Beijing are trying to mend their relationship, which has hit rock bottom in recent months due to various issues. One of them includes a Chinese spy balloon suspected of flying over US territory and tensions over trade, technology, human rights and China’s claims to Taiwan and much of the South China Sea.
As part of efforts to mend ties, three top US officials visited Beijing in recent weeks. John Kerry, US special envoy on climate affairs, concluded talks Wednesday with Chinese officials on ways to fight climate change and restore high-level cooperation between the two countries.
He was preceded by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen earlier this month. Last month, Foreign Minister Antony Blinken traveled to China on a visit focused on reopening channels of communication between the two countries and reviving stalled talks between their militaries.
Xie said China is keen to have a stable and healthy relationship with the US. He said immediate concrete improvements could include increasing the number of passenger flights between China and the US – which were heavily restricted during the pandemic – and renewing the two countries’ cooperation agreements in science and technology.
On the issue of the Ukraine war, Xie repeated Chinese officials’ talking points that Beijing respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, but also recognizes legitimate and reasonable security concerns. China says it is neutral in the conflict, but in practice it has shown support for Russia by holding frequent state visits and joint military exercises with Moscow.
For self-governing Taiwan, which China views as a breakaway province, Xie said the priority was to stop Taiwan’s Vice President and presidential candidate William Lai from stopping in the United States.
“The stopover, which is expected as part of next month’s trip by Lai to Latin America, is like a gray rhino attacking us,” said Xie.
China opposes any formal exchange between its diplomatic partners and Taiwan and has reacted angrily to such visits in the past. In April, China conducted war games around Taiwan after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met US officials in Los Angeles on her way home from Central America.
The director of the US embassy in Taiwan, Sandra Oudkirk, said on Wednesday that there was absolutely no reason for China to use Lai’s transit as a pretext for carrying out any kind of provocative act.
Source : Republika