The most important aspect of the US diplomat’s trip to Beijing appears to have been achieved: the easing that President Joe Biden predicted last month. At the end of the first day of Antony Blinken’s visit, China and the United States managed to discuss the widest range of issues antagonizing them in a “candid” and “constructive” manner, having agreed to continue talks . The Chinese reaffirmed their position that the current state of relations “neither serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples nor meets the common expectations of the international community”.
Blinken is scheduled for more high-level contacts today, possibly also with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Your host, Qin Gang, has agreed to visit Washington. Both said they would work together to increase the number of flights between the world’s two largest economies, which remain at their lowest levels since the pandemic.
Relations between China and the US have fallen to an all-time low following the shooting down of several objects in North American airspace in February, including a Chinese balloon, which Beijing said was meteorological and Washington suspected was a spy craft.
It underlined “the importance of diplomacy and keeping communication channels open on the whole range of issues, to reduce the risk of misconceptions and miscalculations.” Matthew Miller, spokesperson for Antony Blinken
Antony Blinken, who had planned a trip to Beijing a few days later, decided to postpone it to assess the reaction to the Chinese regime. Since then, no public steps have been taken to deflate the bubble of mutual mistrust. On the contrary. In the months that followed, they clashed over Taiwan, as well as Ukraine and Russia; the respective forces recorded a series of dangerous encounters. And to top it off, the White House revealed the existence of a Chinese spy station in Cuba a few days ago.
Yet diplomatic relations resumed in May, the month in which CIA Director William Burns, with more than three decades of experience as a career diplomat, secretly traveled to meet senior Chinese officials. The purpose of the trip, later announced in the media, was to keep communication channels open. This visit was followed by a meeting between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi.
“The Taiwan issue is central to China’s most important interests, it is the most important issue in Sino-US relations and [representa] the most obvious risk. qin gang
In addition, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao went to the US capital to meet his counterpart, Gina Raimondo. Not all channels have reopened. Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu refused to meet his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of a security conference in Singapore.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, President Joe Biden said he hoped to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping again. “To talk about the legitimate differences we have, but also the areas where we can understand each other.”
A tone that matches that of the Chinese president. In October last year, Xi said he was ready to work with the United States for stability and peace in the world, and doing so would require “finding ways to understand each other to our mutual benefit.” And when he received businessman Bill Gates on Friday, the praise wasn’t just directed at the Microsoft founder. “We have always pinned our hopes on the American people and wished the continuation of friendship between the peoples of the two countries,” said the Chinese leader.
Xi and Biden last met in November on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali. If no meeting has been set in the meantime, there is a possibility for them to be together at another G20 summit, this time in New Delhi, in September. In November, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum meets in San Francisco and Xi is one of the guests.
Source: DN
