US diplomatic chief travelled to Beijing in a bid to reconnect superpowers
After avoiding confirmation of the meeting for days, Chinese leader Xi Jinping received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for 35 minutes at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing’s Place of Heavenly Peace, where he meets with foreign leaders, as was the case with President Lula in April.
As state network CCTV showed, Xi told Blinken that “the two sides have made progress and reached agreements on some specific issues,” which “is very good.” “I hope that through this visit, Mr. Secretary, you will make more positive contributions to stabilize China-US relations.”
Blinken, for his part, told Xi that stability in relations is in the “interest of the world”, not just the US and China. Later, at a press conference, he said that other US officials should visit Beijing from now on. On the other hand, according to him, there was no agreement on the resumption of military contacts.
Xi had been warning in recent weeks about what he called “more extreme scenarios”, even saying he has “no illusions” with the US by calling for border military preparations. According to the Chinese statement on the meeting, Xi also said that the country’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and foreign minister, Qin Gang, “described their talks [with the US secretary] as frank and in-depth,” hinting that it was their outcome that made the meeting with the leader possible in the end.
“The Chinese side made its position clear, and the two sides agreed to follow up on the common understandings that President Biden and I reached in Bali,” Xi reportedly added, citing his meeting with the US leader last November in Indonesia on the sidelines of the G20 summit. “State-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity.”
In an apparent indirect mention of Taiwan, a topic of greater sensitivity for Beijing, the statement records that Xi told Blinken that “the US should not hurt China’s legitimate rights and interests.”
A symbolic move to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies, Blinken’s meeting with Xi was a result of the previous two days’ effort to reactivate communications between the superpowers and reduce the risk of conflict. The visit was scheduled to take place in February but was suspended by Washington after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down in US airspace.
“We agree on the need to stabilise our relations,” Blinken stressed of his meetings with Wang and Qin as he opened the press conference. “I came to Beijing to strengthen high-level communications, to make clear our positions and intentions in areas of disagreement and to explore areas where we can work together, and we have done all of that. I appreciate the hospitality of our hosts.”
Wang, who met with Blinken for more than three hours on Monday, shortly before Xi, said in a statement, “We must take a responsible attitude towards people, history and the world and reverse the downward spiral of US-China relations.” On Saturday, amid uncertainty over whether the Chinese leader would receive Blinken, President Joe Biden said he hoped that “in the coming months I will meet with Xi and talk about the legitimate differences we have and also how to get along.”
Biden also commented on the meeting on Monday. He said China-US relations are “on the right track” and that Blinken has done a “great job”.
In the coming weeks, the expectation is for a visit to Beijing by the Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, who has been more favourable to Chinese interests, against the economic decoupling of both countries. Likewise, the passage of the Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, is expected.
Wu Xinbo, a professor at Fudan University and one of the references on Chinese foreign policy, assessed that “China’s message has been quite positive” regarding the visit, according to Reuters news agency. “China has shown that it still hopes to work with the US to stabilise and improve relations. Although China is not optimistic about Sino-US relations, it has not lost hope either.”
