US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday (June 18) amid deteriorating ties between China and the United States over spy balloons and escalating chip wars to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Officials in Washington said that the country’s top diplomat stressed the importance of keeping open lines of communication and held “candid, substantive, and constructive talks” during the first meeting with the Chinese foreign minister.
‘Candid’ talks between Blinken and Qin: US
“The secretary emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation,” said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
This came after Blinken, the highest-ranking US official to visit Beijing in nearly five years, spoke to the country’s foreign minister for nearly five and a half hours on the first day of his visit followed by a working dinner. Meanwhile, the Chinese FM has also agreed to pay a return visit to Washington upon Blinken’s invitation to “continue the discussions, and they agreed to schedule a reciprocal visit at a mutually suitable time.”
Miller also said that the US official “raised a number of issues of concern,” and “opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational issues with the (People’s Republic of China) PRC where our interests align”. Notably, Blinken’s visit was postponed after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over US airspace which sparked a row between the two countries.
The two diplomats have also agreed to work together to expand flights between the world’s two largest economies as the numbers have dropped following the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit also comes months after US President Joe Biden met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia.
US-China relations at ‘lowest point’: Beijing
Blinken and Qin did not address the press on the first day after the US official’s arrival as they shook hands at the state guesthouse before their respective flags. According to the Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV, Qin told Blinken that relations between Washington and Beijing “are at the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations” over four decades ago.
He added, “This does not conform to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, nor does it meet the common expectations of the international community.” The Chinese FM also reportedly issued a warning on Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy claimed by Beijing. China recently held live-fire military drills after visits from Washington’s top officials to the island.
“The Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests, the most important issue in China-US relations and the most prominent risk,” Qin told Washington’s top diplomat, as per the Chinese state media.
Blinken’s visit to Beijing
The US secretary of state is also scheduled for an extended discussion and additional talks with Qin, as well as China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, on Monday. However, it is not certain that Blinken will meet with the Chinese president.
Notably, the talks on Sunday have been described as useful by both China and US as Washington called them “candid, substantive, and constructive” while Chinese state media characterised them as “candid, in-depth and constructive.”
On Sunday, Qin greeted Blinken and his delegation at the door to a villa on the grounds of Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guest House. The US official will also hold a second day of meetings Monday and address reporters before leaving for Washington.
(With inputs from agencies)
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