Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
China's foreign minister told the U.S. ambassador on Monday that Washington is responsible for the downturn in relations between the two countries and must "reflect deeply" before ties can return to a healthy track, an official said.
Qin Gang's comments follow a suspension of serious dialogue on a range of issues between the world's largest economies, increasingly at odds over tariffs, attempts by Washington to deprive China of cutting-edge technology, and China's claims to self-governing Taiwan and large parts of the South and East China Seas.
China's Foreign Ministry quoted Qin as telling Ambassador Nicolas Burns that a "series of erroneous words and deeds by the U.S." since a meeting in November between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping "have undermined the hard-won positive momentum of Sino-U.S. relations."
"The U.S. side should reflect deeply, meet China halfway, and propel China-U.S. relations out of the difficulties and back on the right track," Qin was quoted as saying.
The United States should "correct its understanding of China and return to rationality," Qin said, repeating his earlier accusation that the U.S. is attempting to suppress and contain China. Beijing routinely cites U.S. political and military support of Taiwan as infringing on its sovereignty.
Qin said ties had "grown icy" and the priority was to stabilize them "and avoid a downward spiral and unanticipated events."
The U.S. should stop "undermining China's sovereignty, security, and development interests," particularly through support of Taiwan's independent identity, Qin said.
China says Taiwan must come under its rule, by force if necessary, while the United States says the relationship between the sides must be resolved peaceably. U.S. law requires it to treat threats to Taiwan, including a military blockade, as a matter of "grave concern," though it remains ambiguous under what conditions U.S. forces could be dispatched to defend the island.
Despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, the U.S. is Taiwan's largest supplier of military hardware and diplomatic support, even while it continues to maintain relations with Beijing. Biden has been seen as going a step further by repeatedly saying that the U.S. would back Taiwan militarily, and America has been upgrading basing arrangements with the Philippines, located just south of Taiwan.
U.S.-China military contacts have been on hold for years, and China's top staff refused to answer a call from Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin after then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year. China retaliated for the visit by staging a naval and air force blockade of Taiwan and cutting off channels of communication with the U.S. on issues from environmental protection to maritime security.
At a daily briefing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin described the meeting between Qin and Burns as "a normal diplomatic arrangement."
In a tweet, Burns said he met with Qin and "discussed challenges in the U.S.-China relationship and the necessity of stabilizing ties and expanding high-level communication."
In comments to a U.S. think tank last week, Burns said Washington has been consistent in its approach toward Taiwan and insists that "any resolution of the (cross-Taiwan Strait) differences has to be peaceful."
"We hope that the government here in China will commit itself to a peaceful resolution of the dispute," Burns said in an online discussion with the Washington-based Stimson Centre.
The U.S. "has the obligation as well as the interest to make sure that we can provide defensive arms to Taiwan so that the Taiwan authorities can have a proper defence and we can help them build up a deterrence," he said.
"If Taiwan has a sufficient deterrence in place, and if other countries around the world are supporting a peaceful resolution, one would hope that that would lead the Chinese to understand the consequences of the use of force in the Taiwan Strait," Burns said.
Contacts between Washington and Beijing have been fraught for months since U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a Beijing trip aimed at easing U.S.-China tensions in February. That came after a large high-altitude Chinese balloon was shot down after it sailed across the U.S., drawing Pentagon accusations of spying on sensitive military sites despite firm Chinese denials.
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The 2024 federal budget announced on April 16 included plans to introduce “halal mortgages” as a way to increase access to home ownership.
As if a 4-0 Edmonton Oilers lead in Game 1 of their playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings wasn't good enough, what was announced at Rogers Place during the next TV timeout nearly blew the roof off the downtown arena.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”