2023-06-18 23:20:47
- Anthony Zurcher in Beijing and Antonette Radford in London
- BBC
Blinken and his Chinese counterpart, Chen Gang
The US State Department said Secretary Anthony Blinken appreciated the “frank” talks he had with his Chinese counterpart at the start of his two-day visit to China, during which he will hold several meetings with Chinese officials.
In a statement, Blinken emphasized the need for diplomacy and keeping “channels of communication open.”
The visit is the first by a senior US diplomatic official to China in the past five years.
Blinken was scheduled to visit Beijing last February, but the visit was canceled following the “Chinese spy balloon” flew over the United States.
US officials stated that the main objective of the visit is to calm relations between the two countries, which have been severely strained in the recent period.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Blinken that Beijing is committed to building stable, clear and constructive relations with the United States, according to Chinese state media.
US media also indicated that the Chinese minister agreed during the talks to visit the United States.
Chinese media quoted Chen as saying that the Taiwan file is the “most threatening” to China-US relations, describing the file as one of China’s “major interests.”
China considers Taiwan, which enjoys self-rule, to be a separatist province that will eventually come under the control of the mother country, while Taiwan sees itself as an independent country, with its own constitution and separate leadership.
US President Joe Biden said that his country would defend Taiwan if it was attacked by China, a decision that was criticized by Beijing.
Chen received his American counterpart on Sunday, at the Diawetai Palace of Hospitality, which Beijing allocates for distinguished guests, where they held a quick meeting with the participation of two delegations representing the two countries.
The meeting was followed by a period of stalemate in relations between the two largest powers in the world in recent years.
The United States lowered its expectations for the outcome of the meeting. The two sides also stressed that they do not expect a significant outcome of the visit.
Blinken is expected to raise several issues with Chinese officials during the visit, including the war file in Ukraine, computer technologies, and the spread of fentanyl in the United States, in addition to the human rights file in China.
The Chinese questioned the purpose of the visit, wondering regarding its usefulness in reforming relations between the two countries.
It is not clear until Sunday evening if Blinken will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Blinken is the most prominent US administration official to visit China since Biden assumed office in early 2021.
Before the start of his trip to China on Friday, Blinken told reporters, “If we want to make sure, and we really do, that competition with China does not turn into conflict, then the beginning should be communication.”
Blinken later said he hoped to meet the Chinese president in the coming months.
A quick meeting between Biden and Xi in Malaysia regarding 6 months ago eased fears of a new Cold War, but since the “Chinese spy balloon” incident, high-level contacts between the two leaders have become rare.
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