China’s US Ambassador Warns on ‘Red Lines’ ahead of Trump, Xi Meeting

BEIJING, September 23 – China’s ambassador to the United States has cautioned that China has several "red lines" that cannot be crossed during the upcoming meeting between the two nations' leaders, President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping. In an article published in the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, Ambassador Xie Feng emphasized the importance of managing differences with good faith and asked the US to stop "fabricating pretexts" such as national security and economic imbalances to constrain China.

The ambassador listed four red lines: the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, development paths and systems, and development rights. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, despite Taipei’s objections. The US, being Taiwan’s most important arms supplier and international backer, maintains formal ties with Beijing. Xie expressed hope that the US would move towards peaceful development, aligning with China’s aspirations.

The ambassador emphasized that top-level diplomacy is crucial for stabilizing bilateral relations and that China is committed to peaceful development. A separate commentary in the same newspaper suggested that the US’s "erroneous" perceptions of China and its unwillingness to relinquish the "strategic competition" notion are the main causes of the current difficult relationship.

Both sides are advised to cherish the positive momentum, maintain the right direction, and eliminate interference while the US should honor commitments and inject certainty into the relationship.