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BEIJING: Hosted by President Xi Jinping Anthony Blink for talks in Beijing on Monday, capping off two days of high-level talks between the US secretary of state and Chinese officials.
Blinken’s visit was the highest by a US official to China in nearly five years, as deeply strained relations between the world’s two largest economies have been marked.
US officials said they hoped the visit would bring more stability, if not breakthroughs, between Washington and Beijing.
Chinese state media said Xi, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades, met with Blinken around 4.30 pm (0830 GMT) on Monday.
The meeting came after Blinken held more than 10 hours of talks over two days with other senior officials.
At the ornate Diaoyutai State Guesthouse earlier Monday, Blinken and China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi gave polite smiles before holding talks with their aides, who unlike their bosses wore masks in keeping with lingering Covid-19 protocols.
Away from the cameras, Wang told Blinken that his trip “comes at a crucial juncture in China-US relations.According to state broadcaster CCTV.
“It is necessary to choose between dialogue, confrontation, cooperation or conflict,” he said.
“We must reverse the downward spiral of China-US relations, push for a return to a healthy and stable track, and work together to find a correct way for China and the United States to get along,” Wang said.
He also issued a warning about Taiwan, the self-rule democracy claimed by Beijing.
Last year, China launched live-fire military exercises twice near the island due to anger over meetings between top US lawmakers and Taiwanese leaders.
“On this issue, China has no room for compromise or concession,” Wang told Blinken, according to CCTV.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the discussion with Wang as “frank and productive.”
Referring to the People’s Republic of China, Miller said, Blinken “emphasized the importance of responsible management of competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China through open channels of communication to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”
US officials have expressed fears that China will attempt to take over Taiwan in the coming years and insist that Washington’s arms sales to the island are only intended to maintain the status quo.
Blinken will address reporters before leaving China later on Monday.
Tensions between China and the United States have risen in recent years over a range of issues including trade, technology and Taiwan, with both US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump calling Beijing the most serious threat to the United States’ long-term global dominance.
On the streets of Beijing, Sun Yi, 26, said she hoped Blinken’s visit would improve relations and that she hoped to visit the United States.
“I think the two countries at the moment are like antagonistic lovers. Both sides have their own personalities and interests and are not willing to compromise,” she said.
Xi met Biden in November in Bali on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, raising cautious hopes of a thaw.
Blinken abruptly halted his trip, which had been agreed upon in Bali, in February after the US said it detected – and then shot down – a Chinese spy balloon hovering over the US mainland.
Biden said on Saturday that he did not believe the Chinese leadership was aware of the balloon — suggesting a break in communication with the military, which has been less eager to restore contacts with the United States.
Biden has maintained Trump’s hard line on China and has gone further in some areas, including banning the export of cutting-edge semiconductors to the rising power.
But Biden also expressed hope for limited cooperation in areas such as climate and hoped for a new personal meeting with Xi.
The next opportunity is expected to be in September when both Biden and Xi are expected to arrive in New Delhi for the recent G-20 summit.
Xi was also invited to San Francisco in November as the United States leads the annual Forum for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
Blinken’s visit was the highest by a US official to China in nearly five years, as deeply strained relations between the world’s two largest economies have been marked.
US officials said they hoped the visit would bring more stability, if not breakthroughs, between Washington and Beijing.
Chinese state media said Xi, the most powerful Chinese leader in decades, met with Blinken around 4.30 pm (0830 GMT) on Monday.
The meeting came after Blinken held more than 10 hours of talks over two days with other senior officials.
At the ornate Diaoyutai State Guesthouse earlier Monday, Blinken and China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi gave polite smiles before holding talks with their aides, who unlike their bosses wore masks in keeping with lingering Covid-19 protocols.
Away from the cameras, Wang told Blinken that his trip “comes at a crucial juncture in China-US relations.According to state broadcaster CCTV.
“It is necessary to choose between dialogue, confrontation, cooperation or conflict,” he said.
“We must reverse the downward spiral of China-US relations, push for a return to a healthy and stable track, and work together to find a correct way for China and the United States to get along,” Wang said.
He also issued a warning about Taiwan, the self-rule democracy claimed by Beijing.
Last year, China launched live-fire military exercises twice near the island due to anger over meetings between top US lawmakers and Taiwanese leaders.
“On this issue, China has no room for compromise or concession,” Wang told Blinken, according to CCTV.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the discussion with Wang as “frank and productive.”
Referring to the People’s Republic of China, Miller said, Blinken “emphasized the importance of responsible management of competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China through open channels of communication to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”
US officials have expressed fears that China will attempt to take over Taiwan in the coming years and insist that Washington’s arms sales to the island are only intended to maintain the status quo.
Blinken will address reporters before leaving China later on Monday.
Tensions between China and the United States have risen in recent years over a range of issues including trade, technology and Taiwan, with both US President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump calling Beijing the most serious threat to the United States’ long-term global dominance.
On the streets of Beijing, Sun Yi, 26, said she hoped Blinken’s visit would improve relations and that she hoped to visit the United States.
“I think the two countries at the moment are like antagonistic lovers. Both sides have their own personalities and interests and are not willing to compromise,” she said.
Xi met Biden in November in Bali on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, raising cautious hopes of a thaw.
Blinken abruptly halted his trip, which had been agreed upon in Bali, in February after the US said it detected – and then shot down – a Chinese spy balloon hovering over the US mainland.
Biden said on Saturday that he did not believe the Chinese leadership was aware of the balloon — suggesting a break in communication with the military, which has been less eager to restore contacts with the United States.
Biden has maintained Trump’s hard line on China and has gone further in some areas, including banning the export of cutting-edge semiconductors to the rising power.
But Biden also expressed hope for limited cooperation in areas such as climate and hoped for a new personal meeting with Xi.
The next opportunity is expected to be in September when both Biden and Xi are expected to arrive in New Delhi for the recent G-20 summit.
Xi was also invited to San Francisco in November as the United States leads the annual Forum for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
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