Don't go 'too far' in 'damaging moves': China tells US
Beijing: China's top diplomat Wang Yi has asked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go "too far" in its "damaging moves" against the Chinese interests, saying that both countries will benefit from cooperation and lose from conflicts.
State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang held a telephonic conversation with Pompeo on Saturday, days after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring American companies from installing the foreign-made telecom equipment posing a national security threat, a move apparently aimed at banning Huawei from US networks.
Beijing has warned of retaliation against the order that effectively barred Chinese telecom giant Huawei from the US market.
The world's top two economies are locked in a trade battle that has seen mounting tariffs, sparking fears that the conflict could damage the global economy.
Wang, noting that the US has recently made remarks and taken actions that are harmful to the Chinese interests in various fields including cracking down on Chinese enterprises' normal operations through political measures, said China strongly opposes such actions.
"We urge the US side not to go too far," he told Pompeo.
History and reality have shown that as two big countries, China and the US will both benefit from cooperation and lose from conflicts, Wang said, adding that cooperation is the only right choice for the two countries.
The two sides should follow the direction set by the two countries' heads of state, manage their differences on the basis of mutual respect, expand cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, and work together in pushing forward a China-US relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Wang as saying.
China has always been willing to resolve economic and trade differences through negotiations and consultations, which, however, should be conducted on the basis of equality, he said, adding that China, in any negotiations, must safeguard its legitimate interests, answer the calls of its people, and defend the basic norms of international relations.
Wang stressed that China has stated its firm opposition to the US' recent negative words and acts related to Taiwan, and urged Washington to abide by the 'one-China principle' and the three China-US joint communiques, and handle Taiwan-related issues carefully and properly.
The two sides also exchanged views on relevant international and regional issues, the report said.
Wang emphasized that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is committed to the de-nuclearisation, peace and stability of the Middle East.
The trade war between China and the US escalated after Trump this month increased the import duty on Chinese products worth USD 200 billion from 10 per cent to 25 per cent. China retaliated by slapping tariffs on USD 60 billion worth of US imports.
Trump has been demanding that China reduce the massive trade deficit which last year climbed to over USD 539 billion. He is also pressing for verifiable measures for protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), technology transfer and more access to American goods to Chinese markets.
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Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
