China Urges U.S. to Avoid "Red Lines" After Reaching Trade Truce

China has called on the U.S. to avoid four sensitive issues so that a trade truce sealed between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping can hold, underscoring the broad array of disagreements that will test bilateral ties, Bloomberg News reported.

China’s ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, named Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China’s political system, and development rights as Beijing’s “four red lines.”

China’s ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, named Taiwan, democracy and human rights, China’s political system, and development rights as Beijing’s “four red lines,” adding that “the most important thing is to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns.”

Xie made the remarks in a virtual speech to a U.S.-China Business Council event, the Chinese Embassy said.

He added that “the pressing priority is to follow up on the consensus reached between” Xi, Trump, and their officials “to reassure both our countries and the world economy with concrete actions and outcomes.”

Whether the conflicts concern tariffs, industry, or technology, Xie warned that “all will lead to nothing but a dead end.”

The Wall Street Journal reported recently that opposition from senior U.S. officials convinced Trump to refrain from discussing next-generation artificial intelligence chips with Xi.

The report, citing current and former administration officials, said they argued that making the Blackwell chip available to China posed a national security risk.

The comments serve as a reminder of the many ways the one-year truce reached on Thursday in South Korea could unravel. They also show that while Taiwan’s status did not come up in the Xi-Trump talks, it remains a key issue for Beijing.