WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday urged China to halt its militarization of the disputed South China Sea, drawing a rebuke from Beijing for sending U.S. warships and planes close to islands claimed by China in the strategic waterway. During a round of high-level talks in Washington, the two sides aired many of their main geopolitical differences, including a bitter trade dispute, freedom of navigation in the Asia-Pacific region, self-ruled Taiwan, and China’s crackdown on its Muslim minority. Two visiting senior Chinese officials also seized the opportunity to warn that a trade war between the world’s two largest economies would end up hurting both sides and to call for keeping channels of communication open to resolve an issue that has unsettled global financial markets. The talks appeared aimed at controlling the damage to relations that has worsened in recent months and at paving the way for an encounter between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina at the end of November. Even as the United States and China confront difficult challenges in their relationship, “cooperation remains essential on many issues,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a joint news conference, citing efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme. The meeting paired Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis with Chinese Politburo member Yang Jiechi and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. The annual U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue was originally set for Beijing last month but had been called… [Read full story]
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