Secretary of State Antony Blinken sat down with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday as part of a visit in which a top communist state official spoke of a “downward spiral” in the relationship between the superpowers.
Blinken met with the dictator after holding talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong.
Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months, even as differences have grown.
Blinken and Wang stressed the importance of keeping lines of communication open, but also lamented that divisions were becoming more serious.
Each of them stressed the importance of keeping lines of communication open, but also lamented the persistent and deepening divisions that threaten global security.
Those divisions were highlighted earlier this week when US President Joe Biden signed a massive foreign aid bill containing several elements the Chinese consider problematic.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
During his trip to China, Blinken raised the issue of the communist nation’s continued support for the Russian military.
His comments hinted at a long list of differences to be discussed, including Taiwan and the South China Sea, trade and human rights, China’s support for Russia and the production and export of synthetic opioid precursors.
“Overall, the China-U.S. relationship is starting to stabilize,” Wang told Blinken at the start of about five and a half hours of talks.
“But at the same time, the negative factors in the relationship continue to increase and consolidate and the relationship is facing all kinds of disturbances.”
‘Should China and the United States continue in the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral?’ she asked. “This is an important issue facing our two countries and tests our sincerity and capabilities.”
Wang also outlined, without being specific, well-known Chinese complaints about US policies and positions in the South China Sea, Taiwan, human rights and China’s right to maintain relations with countries it deems appropriate.
“China’s legitimate development rights have been unjustifiably suppressed and our core interests face challenges,” he said.
‘China’s concerns are consistent. We have always called for respect for each other’s fundamental interests and urge the United States not to interfere in China’s internal affairs, not to curb China’s development, and not to step on China’s red lines on sovereignty, security and interests. developmental”.
Blinken responded by saying that the Biden administration values dialogue between the United States and China even on disputed issues. He noted there had been some progress last year but suggested talks would remain difficult.
Despite its “unlimited” partnership with Moscow, China has stayed away from providing weapons for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
U.S. officials warn that such assistance risks damaging the broader bilateral relationship, even as ties stabilize after being hit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in 2022 and the US shooting down of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in February 2023.
Blinken meets with Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong at Diaoyutai State Pension
“I hope that these discussions will be very clear, very direct about the areas where we have differences and the position of the United States, and I have no doubt that you will do the same on behalf of China,” Blinken told Wang.
“In our view, there is no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy to try to move forward, but also to make sure that we are as clear as possible about the areas where we have differences, at least to avoid misunderstandings.” to avoid calculation errors,” he stated.
The State Department later said that Blinken and Wang had “in-depth, substantive and constructive discussions on areas of difference as well as areas of cooperation” and made clear that Blinken had stood firm in the face of US concerns.
Blinken “emphasized that the United States will continue to defend our interests and values and those of our allies and partners, including on human rights and economic issues,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Blinken arrived in China on Wednesday, visiting Shanghai shortly before Biden signed the $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements likely to anger Beijing, including $8 billion to counter China’s growing aggressiveness toward Taiwan and the South China Sea.
It also seeks to force TikTok’s parent company, based in China, to sell the social media platform.
China and the United States are the main players in the Indo-Pacific. Washington is increasingly alarmed by Beijing’s growing aggressiveness in recent years toward Taiwan and its smaller Southeast Asian neighbors with which it has major territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
China has criticized US aid to Taiwan and immediately condemned it as a dangerous provocation. He also strongly opposes efforts to force the sale of TikTok.
Other issues on the table include US complaints about China’s industrial overcapacity, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence and people-to-people exchanges.
The United States is also pushing for progress on reducing China’s supply of the chemicals used to make fentanyl.
The bill also allocates $61 billion to Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion. The Biden administration has complained loudly that Chinese support for Russia’s military-industrial sector has allowed Moscow to subvert Western sanctions and increase attacks on Ukraine.
U.S. officials have said China’s ties with Russia would be a major topic of conversation during Blinken’s visit, and just before Friday’s meetings began, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would visit China in May.