“You sayin’ I stole some intellectual property, man?”
China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday that recent U.S. words and actions had harmed the interests of China and its enterprises, and that Washington should show restraint, China’s foreign ministry said.
Speaking to Pompeo by telephone, Wang said the United States should not go “too far” in the current trade dispute between the two sides, adding that China was still willing to resolve differences through negotiations, but they should be on an equal footing.
On Iran, Wang said China hoped all parties will exercise restraint and act with caution to avoid escalating tensions.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement that Pompeo spoke with Wang and discussed bilateral issues and U.S. concerns about Iran, but gave no other details.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent days, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United States pulled some diplomatic staff from its Baghdad embassy following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf.
China struck a more aggressive tone in its trade war with the United States on Friday, suggesting a resumption of talks between the world’s two largest economies would be meaningless unless Washington changed course. (more…)
North Korea’s foreign ministry is out with a statement condemning the US seizure of its vessels, calling it an ‘illegal act of theft’, according to KCNA. The statement goes on to say that the action violates ‘the basic spirit of the joint statement’ signed last year in Singapore.
