China vows retaliation against US ‘bullying’

Beijing has warned that legislation signed into law last week by US President Joe Biden will lead to “forceful” retaliatory steps if Washington does not reverse course.

At issue are US plans to counter Chinese influence by spending $8 billion on Indo-Pacific security initiatives, including military aid to Taiwan, as well as a new law that would ban the video-sharing platform TikTok if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company within 12 months. Biden has called for ending US reliance on Chinese materials imports and has labeled Chinese leaders as “bad folks” who will “do bad things” when they have problems.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian claimed on Monday that the latest US actions infringe upon China’s sovereignty. “We urge the US to respect China’s core interests and major concerns, and not to implement these negative articles concerning China,” Lin told reporters in Beijing. “Otherwise, China will take strong and resolute measures to safeguard our sovereignty, security and development interests.”

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which it views as a breakaway province – a position that the US has acknowledged, without endorsing, since the 1970s. Washington has also maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” meaning it seeks to deter a Chinese seizure of Taiwan by leaving open the possibility that it would help defend the self-governing island.

The new Taiwan aid legislation violates US-Chinese communiques on the ‘one-China principle’, Lin said. It also sends a “seriously wrong signal” to Taiwanese separatists, he warned, adding that Washington has again revealed its “hegemonic and bullying nature.”

The renewed US-China tensions come on the heels of last week’s visit to Beijing and Shanghai by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Upon returning to Washington, the top US diplomat accused Beijing of trying to manipulate American elections. Lin denied the allegation, saying it stemmed from “paranoia and shadow-chasing.”

The Chinese spokesman also bristled at Blinken’s accusation that China is exporting dual-use goods to help Russia produce more weapons for use against Ukraine. He said that China has pushed for a negotiated peace agreement in Ukraine, in contrast to the US role as an instigator.

“China’s right to normal trade and economic exchanges with countries in the world, including Russia, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit should not be interfered with or disrupted,” Lin said. “The US keeps pouring munitions into Ukraine while blaming our normal trade with Russia. It is pretty clear who exactly is fueling the flame and aggravating the crisis.”