TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Thursday criticized the United States for trying to suppress China’s rise through sanctions and reiterated Beijing’s commitment to uphold the multipolar world order with partners such as Russia.

Speaking to local and foreign media during the annual meeting of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, Wang said while relations between China and the United States have improved since the summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, Washington’s misconception of China remains strong and it has not honored the promises made during the summit.

“The U.S. continues to renew their means of suppressing China while expanding the sanctions list,” he said, adding that Washington’s desire to punish Beijing has reached an “unimaginable level.”

Questioning Washington’s credibility as a great power, Wang urged the U.S. to view China’s rise and development objectively and rationally handle its interactions with Beijing.

“We urge the U.S. to recognize the general trend of historical development and put its promises into practice,” Wang added.

Some analysts say Wang’s criticism of the U.S. reflects Beijing’s concern about facing technological bottlenecks and economic encirclement by Washington and its allies.

“Beijing is hoping to elicit further American concessions and it’s asking the U.S. to lower its walls on technological de-risking from China,” Wen-ti Sung, a political scientist at Australian National University told VOA in a written response.

While Wang urged the U.S. to promote a healthy and stable development of bilateral relations alongside China, he touted Beijing’s close partnership with Russia, saying both countries continue to deepen political mutual trust while pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation.

“As major world powers and permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, China, and Russia have forged a new paradigm of great power relations that adheres to permanent good neighborliness while deepening comprehensive strategic cooperation on the basis of nonalignment, nonconfrontation and nontargeting of third parties,” Wang said.

Some experts say China’s efforts to double down on its “no limits partnership” with Russia is mainly due to its attempt to build an alliance that can resist pressure imposed by the United States.

“Since Russia is anti-U.S., China needs an ally to help it resist pressure from Washington,” Liu Dongshu, an expert on Chinese politics at the City University of Hong Kong, told VOA by phone.

Since China has been highlighting the importance of its partnership with Russia before the Ukraine war, Liu said China may feel the need to stick with that commitment.

“It’s difficult for Beijing to admit that it’s made a mistake in being too supportive of Russia, so for the sake of saving its face, China needs to insist that it’s not wrong for maintaining the partnership with Russia,” he added.

As the war in Ukraine and the Middle East continue, Wang, a 70-year-old veteran diplomat who returned to the role of foreign minister last year following the mysterious dismissal of former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, said China is actively putting forward proposals for resolving regional and global issues.

He said the only way to end the vicious cycle extended from the conflict between Israel and Hamas is to “comprehensively implement the two-state solution” and said Beijing supports establishment of a Palestinian U.N. member state.

On the Ukraine war, Wang said China has always “maintained an objective and impartial position” and reiterated Beijing’s support for convening an international peace conference that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine.

Liu in Hong Kong said China is facing a dilemma where it wants to present itself as a responsible great power internationally, but it doesn’t want to take action to address the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

“Unlike the U.S., which has experience in mediating global conflicts, China has long adopted this nonintervention approach,” he told VOA. “China is unwilling to take actions to get involved in these conflicts and it also may not be capable of doing that.”

Amid rising tension across the Taiwan Strait in recent weeks, with Chinese coast guard vessels increasing efforts to patrol disputed waters near Taiwan’s outlying islands, Wang said Beijing will never allow Taiwan to be separated “from the motherland” and warned countries around the world not to support Taiwan’s potential pursuit of independence.

“Whoever engages in ‘Taiwan independence’ on the island will be held accountable by history and whoever in the world supports ‘Taiwan independence’ will get burned for playing with fire and taste the bitter fruit of their own doing,” he warned during the 90-minute press conference.

Sung from Australian National University said Wang’s comments on Taiwan are intended to intensify pressure on Taiwan’s diplomatic partners and ensure Taiwan remains internationally isolated. Wang is trying to “warn other countries about the consequences of offering support for Taiwan while reiterating Beijing’s ultimate goal of achieving unification,” he told VOA.

As tension between China and the Philippines grows because of repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea, Wang said China has always exercised “a high degree of restraint” when handling maritime disputes.

“China has always respected historical and legal facts and sought a solution that’s acceptable to each party,” he said, adding that Beijing will not allow its “good intentions” to be abused or the law in the sea to be “distorted.”

After Wang set the tone for China’s foreign policy in 2024 through the press conference on Thursday, some analysts think Beijing will likely adopt a multiprong approach to manage its relationship with different countries.

“China will focus on managing ties with Europe, maintaining close relations with Russia and other pariah states, heightening tensions with Taiwan, India and in the South China Sea, cautiously testing the waters with the U.S. while seeking to court the Global South,” Sana Hashmi, a postdoctoral a fellow at the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, told VOA in a written response.
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New Delhi — Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry has issued “sincere apologies” following a remark by Taiwan’s labor minister that has threatened to disrupt fast-warming ties between the island republic and India. 

In an interview with Yahoo TV last week, Hsu Ming-chun, Taiwan’s minister of labor, said that Taiwan may start recruiting migrant workers from India’s northeast region because “their skin color and eating habits are similar to ours.” She added that “most of them believe in Christianity, and [have] skills in manufacturing, construction and agriculture.” 

Critics on social media called the remarks racist.  

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement late Monday calling Hsu’s comments “not entirely appropriate” and expressed “sincere apologies.” 

“Taiwan will welcome any Indian worker who meets conditions for recruitment and satisfies industry demand, regardless of their ethnic background,” the ministry said in a statement. 

Amid a rapidly aging population, Taiwan has been seeking to expand its source of foreign workers beyond Southeast Asian nations. Most now come from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the Center for International and Strategic Studies.

Taiwan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India on February 16, laying the framework for recruiting workers from India, which has high unemployment and a fast-growing population. India overtook China last year as the world’s most populous country with more than 1.4 billion people.   

The details of the implementation of the MOU have yet to be worked out, but Bloomberg reported in November it could involve hiring as many as 100,000 Indian workers for industry, agriculture and health care on the self-ruled island. Taiwan has denied that it expects to hire that many workers. 

China has been publicly silent on the agreement but could be irked by any bilateral agreement involving Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province that must one day reunite with mainland China, by force if necessary.   

India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not immediately respond to the labor minister’s comments or the ministry’s apology. But there was some domestic backlash from India’s business sector. 

“The Taiwanese minister’s statement is racist in nature, and it disrespects our Indian ethos,” said Nafisul Q. Jilani, a Delhi-based businessman who wants to do business with Taiwan. “In the wake of current geopolitical fragility, such statements are unwarranted, and they could hamper the growing bilateral relation(s) between India and Taiwan.” 

He added that “India is a diverse country and constitutionally, every Indian is an equal citizen. We believe that any opportunity should be given on candidates’ individual merit, and not based on his/her skin color, appearance or religion.” 

Namrata Hasija, a research fellow at the Delhi-based Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, told VOA these kinds of statements harm the relationship between the two governments. 

Leaders in Taiwan “should sensitize their ministers to India, and they should understand that both countries have come a long way,” said Hasija, who is also a member of the advisory committee set up by Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor to look at labor issues with India.  

“But if ministers, politicians and bureaucrats are not sensitized towards India, they don’t know India, and they don’t understand how diverse India is. Then such hiccups will keep coming in, and there will be a negative image of Taiwan here. Why give fodder to China, who are trying to dismantle the relationship?” she asked. 

Priya Purswaney, an Indian entrepreneur and interpreter based in Taipei, told VOA the Indian community there “is slightly shocked by these comments, and such comments do not represent the majority view and do not align with the government’s policy on India, which has been actively working to strengthen ties with India.” 

“The particular comment that has been criticized was not meant to be offensive to anyone,” said Purswaney. “She just had an error of judgment and has apologized for that. I hope the matter is not dragged on any further, because this agreement is definitely beneficial to both sides and marks an important milestone in India-Taiwan collaboration.”  

Purswaney noted that Hsu was full of praise for India, Indians and migrant workers from India during the TV interview, emphasizing the contribution they have made in many countries around the world.  

Like most countries, India has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and adheres to a “One China” policy as do other governments that wish to have formal relations and do business with Beijing. India was one of the first noncommunist nations to recognize the government in Beijing, but New Delhi maintained informal ties with Taipei while trade and other exchanges flourished. 

While bilateral trade between India and Taiwan is a modest $8 billion per year, compared to $136 billion between India and China, Taiwan is home to at least 5,000 Indian citizens and diaspora, considered among the best educated in the expatriate community. 

Nearly 3,000 Indian students study in Taiwan, making up the fastest-growing group of international students.  
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Brussels — The European Union moved a step closer Tuesday to banning products made from forced labor after negotiators reached an agreement on a law that supporters hope will help block imports from China involving the Uyghur Muslim minority.

The bloc’s draft text does not specifically mention China, but focuses on all products made from forced labor, including those made within the European Union.

Human rights groups say at least one million people, mostly members of Muslim minorities, have been incarcerated in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region and face widespread abuses, including forced sterilization of women and coerced labor.

Nearly 28 million people, including 3.3 million children, are in forced labor around the world, according to the International Labor Organization.

Under the new law, the European Commission must open investigations when there is suspicion of forced labor in a company’s supply chains outside the EU.

Meanwhile, the EU’s 27 member states will be expected to launch probes when the forced labor is suspected inside the bloc.

If the use of forced labor is proven, the relevant goods can be seized at the borders and withdrawn from the European market and online marketplaces.

Companies can be fined for any violations. Although the law does not set a minimum or maximum limit, officials said fines should be an amount that acts as a deterrent.

If a company removes forced labor from their supply chains, the banned products can return to the European market.

“The prevalence of forced labor products on our market is becoming ever more apparent, most notably with products made with Uyghur forced labor. This is unacceptable,” said EU lawmaker Maria Manuel Leitao Marques, who spearheaded the text through parliament.

“We can no longer turn a blind eye to what is happening in our supply chains,” she said.

The US Congress in 2021 banned all imports from Xinjiang, unless companies in the region can prove that their production does not include forced labor.

The EU law, first proposed in 2022, will become official after formal adoption by the EU’s 27 member states and parliament.

“We now urge member states to respect the deal… and finalize the new law as soon as possible,” socialist EU lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann said.

“The EU is on track to ban products made with forced labor from our market,” the EU’s most senior trade official, Valdis Dombrovskis, said on social media.

“This will now require careful and effective implementation,” he said.
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