Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenTrump asks Biden to give Putin his ‘warmest regards’ Progressives rally behind Omar while accusing her critics of bias US sanctions network with ties to Houthis, Iran MORE spoke with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, on Friday as Congress debates a bill that would ramp up the U.S.’s competitiveness with Beijing.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV first reported the conversation between Blinken and Yang, the director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China’s ruling Communist Party. Yang reportedly expressed support for cooperation with the U.S. various issues but panned lawmakers in the U.S. for promoting a theory that the coronavirus originated from a lab in Wuhan, China.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
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The call comes amid heightened pressure on the relationship between Washington and Beijing.
The Senate this week passed in a broad bipartisan vote a bill that intends to make the U.S. more competitive with China. Among other things, the legislation would invest about $52 billion into semiconductor production and $81 billion to the National Science Foundation to boost research and development in technology and innovation. The bill would also stand up a fund for the Department of Homeland Security to support companies that are struck by cyberattacks.
The debate over the legislation coincides with efforts by the Biden administration to pressure Beijing on human rights in Taiwan and Hong Kong, its military presence in the South China Sea, ongoing trade disputes, the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region and more.
President BidenJoe BidenJill Biden, Kate Middleton to meet this week Al Gore lobbied Biden to not scale back climate plans in infrastructure deal White House briefed on bipartisan infrastructure deal but says questions remain MORE is expected to rally allies behind a common approach to combatting China during his trip to Europe to meet with the Group of Seven (G-7), NATO and other European leaders.
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