US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Chinese officials during a rare trip to Beijing, as relations between the two superpowers continue to deteriorate. Blinken is the first man of his post to meet Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, since 2018. Both Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang described the talks, held on Sunday, as “candid and constructive”.
Representatives of the two states ‘seemed to agree on little beyond keeping the conversation [of diplomacy] going’ as reported by Reuters. They did not appear to make concrete progress on disputes that include Taiwan, trade, human rights and fentanyl.
According to the State Department, Blinken stressed the “need to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation,” thereby underscoring the importance of open communication channels to manage their competition.
Describing the US-China relationship as being at its lowest point since diplomatic relations began, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said the root cause was the United States’ incorrect perception of China.
“We must take a responsible attitude toward the people, history and the world, and reverse the downward spiral of US-China relations,” Wang was reported to have said during the meeting, as released in a statement by China’s foreign ministry.
Xi Jinping hails ‘progress’
On Monday, Blinken met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Their meeting could be instrumental in facilitating a summit between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden later this year.
The visit reflects attempts from both states in ensuring disputes between the economic superpowers do not develop into outright conflict.
Xi praised the talks as “progress” between the two superpowers. Biden said he hoped to meet the Chinese leader again after their lengthy meeting in November, during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
“I’m hoping that, over the next several months, I’ll be meeting with Xi again and talking about legitimate differences we have but also how there’s areas we can get along,” Biden said, as reported by The Guardian.
It is likely that the two leaders will be in attendance at the next G20 summit, which is to be held in New Delhi in September. Xi is also invited to travel to San Francisco in November, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
