Global Courant
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday called two recent encounters between Chinese and US military aircraft and ships “unacceptable” while also downplaying a controversial visit by US officials to China that coincided with the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre. square.
“We wouldn’t call it a misstep,” Kirby said Monday at the White House Press Briefing. “I mean, this was a long-planned trip and this is how the schedules worked out. But I honestly think people who criticize the timing of Tiananmen Square are just making a lot of nothing. It wasn’t timed to do something with the birthday.”
Kirby was responding to criticism that the Biden administration staged a “major coup” against Chinese President Xi Jinping after two senior US officials visited China on June 4, marking the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, when it Chinese army massacred hundreds, possibly thousands. , from pro-democracy protesters.
Republican Darrell Issa, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital that the trip will only benefit China and Chinese President Xi Jinping, while weakening the United States’ position on the world stage. .
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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks at a news conference at the White House (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“This is no ordinary foreign policy stumbling block,” he said. “It is a concession demanded by the Chinese and granted by the White House and the State Department who are willing to bow. It is a major coup for Xi, and America’s position in the world has only grown weaker – where it matters most.”
Kirby explained that the meeting was scheduled well in advance and that US officials were “candid” about US concerns about China’s increased aggression in the region.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Among those concerns were two close calls between the Chinese and US military, including an air intercept over the South China Sea last week and a Chinese warship coming within meters of colliding with a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on Saturday. .
“Unfortunately, these are part of an increasing level of aggressiveness by the PLA, the PRC’s military, particularly in the Taiwan Strait area and in the South China Sea,” Kirby said.
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New recruits of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) attend a farewell ceremony at a railway station in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, 16 March 2023. (China Daily via REUTERS)
“This is just part of a growing PRC aggressiveness that we are dealing with, and we are prepared to address it. You heard Secretary Austin speak about that at the Shangri-La Dialog last weekend. will continue to keep the lines open with the Chinese to make it clear how unacceptable those specific interceptions are.”
Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].
