Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday in an effort to restore relations from a deep chill that has sparked global concern over the increased risk of conflict between the two governments.
The 35-minute talks recognize that, at least for now, the United States and China do not want their relationship to be defined by outright hostility, and that their confrontation and diplomatic efforts have enormous stakes. sent a signal.
Mr. Blinken and Mr. Xi met at the Great Hall of the People, a grand building west of Tiananmen Square, where Mr. Xi frequently hosts national leaders. Xi exchanged warm greetings at the beginning of the meeting, praising the two countries for making progress on several issues during Brinken’s visit.“
Mr Blinken told Mr Xi that the US government is committed to managing its relationship with China responsibly, according to a State Department statement. “It’s in America’s interests, China’s interests, and the world’s interests,” he said.
Both Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden are mounting pressure from world leaders to curb their increasingly divisive stances on each other. Any armed conflict between the United States and China, whether over the de facto independent island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory, or another conflict, could potentially cause catastrophe. widely regarded as having sex. The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies, nuclear powers, and dominant players in advanced technology and other important industries.
Officials in Washington and Beijing have increasingly voiced the need to stem the rapid deterioration of relations. But the two governments also recognize the need to demonstrate that they are not compromising on core issues while pursuing some kind of high-level diplomacy aimed at de-escalating tensions.
In his opening remarks at the meeting with Blinken, Xi alluded to China’s dissatisfaction, stating that “interactions between countries should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. We look forward to contributing more actively.”
Throughout the two days of talks, diplomats expressed no hope for sudden or dramatic progress in mending relations. Instead, the focus has been on rebuilding communication channels that have fallen apart in recent months and stepping up negotiations on minor issues such as visas and commercial flights between the two countries.
Mr. Blinken met with China’s top foreign policy official, Wang Yi, on Monday morning, in a tough tone, blaming the United States for recent tensions.
According to China’s official statement, Wang said the United States should cooperate with Beijing rather than “hype” the “China threat theory.” He said the United States should lift sanctions on China and stop suppressing its technological development. He accused the United States of “recklessly interfering in China’s internal affairs” on issues such as Taiwan. supply of weapons.
The State Department called the meeting between Mr. Brinken and Mr. Wang “frank and productive,” and Mr. Brinken called for the two countries to manage their rivalry responsibly and communicate better “to keep competition from turning into conflict.” He said he stressed the need to do better. He also said the two officials had discussed how the two countries could work together on “common transnational challenges.” U.S. officials say those challenges include climate change, global economic instability and controlling production of the deadly opioid fentanyl.
Blinken, who also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday, is the first US secretary of state to visit Beijing since 2018. His mandate is being carried out while bilateral relations have deteriorated over half a dozen times. Lowest score in decades. Tensions rose in February when the Pentagon announced that a Chinese surveillance balloon was drifting over the mainland United States, prompting Mr. Blinken to cancel an impending visit to Beijing and then order a U.S. fighter jet to shoot it down.
In late February, Mr. Blinken confronted Mr. Wang on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, telling him he believed Washington was considering China to provide deadly assistance to Russia in the war in Ukraine. When the relationship became even more strained. China responded by freezing some key diplomatic exchanges and intensifying anti-American rhetoric.
Republican politicians have enacted tough trade policies, including export controls, and stepped up military cooperation to limit China’s growth in strategic areas such as semiconductors by Biden and his aides. has attempted to portray the Biden administration as soft on China. with countries across Asia. Among Republicans, criticized Mr Blinken He said the visit to China amounted to a concession to Beijing. Biden’s reelection campaign next year is likely to further intensify US politicians’ harsh rhetoric against China.
U.S. officials will maintain regular high-level dialogue to ensure that the two governments can speak quickly in the event of a possible crisis, especially as the two nations’ militaries intensify close contact in the surrounding seas and air. says it is important to China and rest of Asia.
Wu Xinbo, dean of the international department at Fudan University in Shanghai, said Mr. Biden’s recent remarks downplaying the seriousness of the balloon accident likely helped pave the way for Mr. Blinken’s visit. “China may feel that the United States is taking a constructive position,” he said.
Officials on both sides said Mr. Blinken’s meeting would ideally result in a series of visits to the Chinese capital by other senior U.S. officials in the near future, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimond and Special Envoy John Kerry. said he would. Presidential envoy on climate issues.
During Mr. Brinken’s visit, the two governments agreed to meet soon with a working group and diplomats on a range of issues, including expanding access to each country for journalists, academics and students, State Department officials said. Officials also said the two sides had agreed to expand direct commercial flights between the two countries.
Mr Blinken’s visit may put a damper on ties for the time being, but analysts say it will take longer for the two countries to overcome the mistrust weighing on their relationship.
The hope is that the Beijing talks will provide the two governments with “principles for managing Sino-U.S. relations to keep competition to an acceptable level and create more room for coordinated efforts where the interests of the United States and China overlap.” He said that it is to promote the formation of a “effective framework”. Cornell University political scientist Jessica Chen Weiss recently advised the State Department on China policy.
China has rejected attempts by the Biden administration to install so-called guardrails to prevent possible accidents in disputed territories such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea from spiraling out of control. Analysts say some Chinese officials equate the perception of Americans that the Chinese government and military are unpredictable because they are themselves a useful deterrent. The realization is believed to cause U.S. officials to reconsider U.S. military operations in the waters and airspace around China.
In the days and weeks leading up to Mr. Blinken’s visit, China repeatedly criticized the United States for its lack of “honesty”, such as seeking communication while continuing to trample China’s interests. China said the US needs to respect China’s position to resume high-level consultations.
But Xi’s decision to meet with Blinken shows that China, too, is uncomfortable with the escalating tensions.
“Despite China’s efforts to make it appear that the US side is more eager to visit, the Chinese side also attaches great importance to Mr. Blinken’s visit and to bringing further stability to US-China relations.” said bureau chief Paul Henle. China joined the National Security Council under the Bush and Obama administrations.
Due to the deterioration of the Chinese economy, the pressure on the Chinese government to stabilize relations may be increasing.Mr. Xi also seems enthusiastic, so he may want to stabilize the relationship. present oneself as a global politician. Biden could also meet one-on-one in San Francisco in November if he chooses to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
“For the past few months, China has blamed the United States for its relations with the United States and for all its wrongdoings within China. We need to,” said Ryan Huss, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who served as China’s head of the National Security Council under President Obama.
“The Chinese government believes it is in its interests to communicate directly to manage relationship stress,” he said, adding that “we will be ready for President Xi to meet with President Biden in the fall.” ‘ added.
Olivia Wang contributed to the report.
