During a Monday meeting between Chinese diplomats and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the Chinese side gave the U.S. a list of “wrongdoings” by the U.S. against China, which they demanded the U.S. put a stop to. The “wrongdoings” included requirements for Chinese government-linked Confucius Institutes and Chinese media outlets to register as foreign agents of the Chinese government.
On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the Chinese side had called on the U.S. to discontinue those “wrongdoings” and cases involving Chinese individuals and entities “as soon as possible.”
“In the list of wrongdoings, China urges the U.S. side to unconditionally revoke visa restrictions on members of the Communist Party of China and their family members, stop suppressing Chinese companies, stop harassing Chinese students overseas, stop attacking the Confucius Institute, remove the registration of Chinese media as foreign agents or foreign missions, and drop the extradition of Meng Wanzhou and so on,” Zhao said.
Meng is the deputy chair and chief financial officer (CFO) of the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. She was arrested in Canada in December 2018, based on charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. Meng has since fought extradition to the U.S. and her prosecution is an ongoing issue for the DOJ.
“In the list of key individual cases that China has concerns with, China expresses its grave concerns over the individual cases including the rejection of visa application of some Chinese students, unfair treatment of Chinese citizens, the harassment and storming of the Chinese embassy and consulates, and the growing anti-Asia, anti-China sentiment in the U.S.,” Zhao added in his Monday remarks. “China asked the U.S. side to address the cases as soon as possible, and earnestly respect and protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens and institutions.”
Newsweek, which reported on the list of Chinese demands, said President Joe Biden’s administration declined a request for comment on the meeting between Sherman and her Chinese counterparts.
According to a State Department press release, Sherman “had a frank and open discussion about a range of issues, demonstrating the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between our two countries.”
Sherman raised a number of concerns from the U.S. side about Chinese actions, “Including Beijing’s anti-democratic crackdown in Hong Kong; the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang; abuses in Tibet; and the curtailing of media access and freedom of the press.”
Sherman also “spoke about our concerns about Beijing’s conduct in cyberspace; across the Taiwan Strait; and in the East and South China Seas.”
The Deputy Secretary also raised the cases of American and Canadian citizens detained in China or placed under exit bans. According to the State Department, Sherman told Chinese officials “people are not bargaining chips.”
On Monday, Zhao said the U.S. must stop “interfering in China’s internal affairs” and stop crossing the “red lines” and “playing with fire” on issues including investigating the origins of COVID-19, and matters involving Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
