U.S. State Department Secretary Antony Blinken has called on his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for «transparency» regarding the coronavirus outbreak in China in recent weeks following the lifting of restrictions.
Blinken and Wang held a telephone call in which they discussed «the current situation of COVID-19» in China, according to the Department’s spokesman, Ned Price, in a statement published on Thursday.
The two politicians also discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as the effects on global security and economic stability.
Likewise, Blinken has indicated the need to «responsibly manage» the relationship between Washington and Beijing. «It is vitally important to keep the channels of communication open,» the U.S. official said on his Twitter profile.
For its part, Wang’s statement does not mention the issue of the coronavirus, while noting that the issues discussed are related to the invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan or bilateral relations with the Biden Administration.
In this regard, the Chinese minister stressed that Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden met last month in Bali, «strategically guiding bilateral relations out of serious difficulties and back to a healthy and stable path, sending a positive signal to the outside world.»
However, Wang has criticized U.S. officials as «unable to engage in containment while seeking dialogue, or stick the knife in while discussing cooperation,» Xinhua reports.
«China will continue to resolutely defend its sovereignty, security and development interests. The U.S. should pay attention to China’s legitimate concerns and stop containing and suppressing China’s development,» he reiterated.
Finally, he has emphasized, regarding the war in Ukraine, that «China has always been on the side of peace,» as well as the UN Charter and «the international community’s efforts to promote peace.»
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
