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China's ambassador to the U.S. warned Wednesday that Taiwan, democracy and human rights are among four "red lines" that cannot be challenged, setting a firm tone ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington.
Xi is due to visit Washington as both governments seek to stabilize relations strained by disputes over trade, Taiwan and other issues.
Writing in the Communist Party's official People's Daily, Ambassador Xie Feng said managing differences requires good faith and called on Washington to stop what he described as "fabricating pretexts" involving national security, economic imbalances and forced labor to constrain China.
"China's sovereignty, security, and development interests cannot be violated, and four red lines—the Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, development paths and systems, and development rights—cannot be challenged," Xie said.
He added that cooperation benefits both countries while confrontation harms both, saying China remains committed to peaceful development and hopes the U.S. will take the same approach.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its territory despite objections from the government in Taipei and has repeatedly called on Washington to stop arms sales to the island.
The U.S. is Taiwan's most important arms supplier and international supporter.
After a May summit with Xi in Beijing, Trump said he was holding back a new arms package worth about $14 billion, describing it as a "very good negotiating chip."
A senior Taiwan security official said Beijing views delays in U.S. arms transfers as a way to slow Taiwan's military buildup and give China more room to increase pressure around Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said China could offer incentives including purchases of U.S. goods or gestures related to Middle East tensions to persuade Trump that reduced U.S. military commitments in the region could lead to broader cooperation with Beijing.
The official also said China's military has significantly increased naval, coast guard and research ship activity around Taiwan and in the South and East China Seas, including gathering information on undersea cables that could be useful in wartime.
China's Foreign Ministry reiterated its "resolute opposition" to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, calling the issue the "core of core interests" and the political foundation of China-U.S. relations.
China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, although it says it prefers "peaceful reunification."
Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian accused Taiwan of deliberately escalating tensions.
"Scheming for independence is the primary culprit in destroying peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and undermining the status quo," Zhu said.
A separate People's Daily commentary Wednesday blamed Washington's "erroneous" perceptions of China and its continued focus on strategic competition for recurring tensions in bilateral relations.
The commentary, published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng," or "Voice of China," said both sides should preserve the recent momentum in relations and eliminate interference.
"The U.S. side, in particular, needs to maintain continuity and stability in its policies, honor its commitments, and inject certainty into bilateral relations," it said.
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