WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Beijing this weekend with low expectations that he will make progress on a long list of disagreements between the United States and China. Analysts say he and his Chinese counterparts can achieve at least one thing — showing that the world’s most important bilateral relationship is not about to collapse.
Sources said Blinken will hold meetings in China on June 18-19 and may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He will be the highest-ranking US government official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021, and the first secretary of state in five years.
In a pre-flight briefing on Wednesday, US officials said they did not expect the trip to bring about a breakthrough in how the US and China treat each other. This followed a tense phone call Tuesday night in which Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Blinken that the United States should stop meddling in China’s affairs.
Blinken said at a press conference on Friday that the US side will speak frankly in China about “very real concerns” on a range of issues and said the trip is aimed at establishing “open and robust” communications.
He said he would look for areas of cooperation with Beijing, while also raising the issue of American citizens being held in China on charges that Washington sees as politically motivated.
“Stiff competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict,” he said, adding that his visit followed an agreement to step up contacts reached between Biden and Xi at a meeting in November in Bali.
Blinken said his trip was “an important step, but in a sense it’s not enough, because there’s a lot of work to do.”
On Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry followed up Read the tense phone call This week, he warned that “fierce competition … cannot be entered into” and that Washington “should not imagine that it is dealing with China from a position of strength.”
“This is not the so-called responsible competition, but a very irresponsible hegemonic behavior that will only push China and the United States towards confrontation,” said Wang Wenbin, party spokesman.
US officials expect Blinken’s visit to pave the way for more bilateral meetings in the coming months, including possible trips by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. It could also pave the way for meetings between Xi and Biden at multilateral summits later in the year.
“Both sides want to show the rest of the world that they are managing the relationship responsibly,” said Andrew Small, senior fellow in the German Marshall Fund’s Asia programme.
“For China, the most important audience is the Global South. For the United States, they are its partners and allies. So even pursuing the motions has some benefit for both Washington and Beijing.”
Speaking at the same press conference after a meeting with Blinken, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan called the latter’s visit to China “a very important and crucial moment.”
“Not just the US and China, but actually the rest of the world will be watching. So we hope and believe that you’ll be able to manage the differences, but more importantly, create open channels of communication, build mutual trust, and understanding.”
Relations between the United States and China have generally deteriorated, prompting fears that their rivalry could veer into conflict over Taiwan, which China claims as its own. China has held regular military exercises near the island, including on Sunday.
The United States and China are also at odds on issues ranging from trade and microchips to human rights.
Of particular concern for China’s neighbors is its reluctance to engage in regular military talks with Washington, despite repeated US attempts. U.S. officials said on Wednesday that establishing crisis communication channels to reduce risks is a top priority.
In Brussels on Friday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed optimism that he would eventually hold talks with his Chinese counterpart after Beijing snubbed him during an event in Singapore earlier this month.
On Wednesday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stressed the importance of easing tensions.
“Everything that leads to greater cooperation, greater dialogue and a reduction in tensions between Beijing and Washington will be welcomed,” he told reporters.
While Blinken’s main goal will be “frank, direct and constructive” discussions, US officials said, breakthroughs are unlikely on any major issues, including the flow of fentanyl precursors and Americans detained in China.
Biden eleventh appointed meeting
A Biden-Xi meeting in Bali briefly eased fears of a new Cold War, but in the wake of an alleged Chinese spy balloon flight over the US in February, prompting Blinken to postpone a visit to Beijing scheduled for that month, communication was thin. Rarely level. .
Beijing, frustrated by what it sees as the Biden administration’s weaponization of economic policies, has sought to expand ties with countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Xi recently entertained several European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and made diplomatic pushes to court others, including US ally Saudi Arabia.
“Beijing agreed to (Blinken’s) visit because it seemed to be the only thing holding back many other things, such as working-level dialogues and visits by other cabinet members,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the State Department. Stimson Center think tank, Washington.
These meetings could lead to the Biden-Xi meetings at the G-20 meeting in September in India and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November in San Francisco.
“Shi wants to come to San Francisco,” Sun said. “(Apart from) your father, he also wants a bipartisanship with Biden. This means that the basic works must be paved starting now.”
(Covering by Humeyra Pamuk). Additional reporting by David Brunstrom, Phil Stewart, Simon Lewis, Daphne Psalidakis and Kanishka Singh in Washington, Laurie Chen and Martin Pollard in Beijing, Michelle Nichols in New York and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Don Durfey and Daniel Wallis
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