ReceiptUS Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Beijing on Sunday for a two-day visit aimed at easing bilateral tensions.
He received Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Gang Blinken and his accompanying delegation At the door of a villa in the courtyard of the Daoyudai Guest House in Beijing, where he hosted The two chatted for a while before shaking hands Chinese and American flags.
Donald Trump’s October 2018 visit will be the first time a US secretary of state has visited China since his predecessor, Mike Pompeo, pursued a confrontational strategy with Beijing in the final years of his presidency..
Revival of direct dialogue between the two countries
Before his departure, Blinken said in Washington that the visit should “open direct lines of communication so that our two countries can manage our relationship responsibly, including avoiding certain challenges and bad ideas and miscalculations.”
“Continued diplomacy is needed to ensure that intense competition does not turn into a confrontation or conflict,” he said, because “the world looks to America and China for cooperation.”
Danny Russell, a former senior official at the US State Department, said that “Blingen’s short visit will not solve any of the major problems in relations between the US and China (…) “But his visit could revive much-needed direct dialogue and send a signal that both countries are moving away from angry rhetoric in front of the media to more relaxed talks behind closed doors.”
Taiwan, barbed wire
Taiwan represents the thorniest issue between the two powers since Beijing staged historic military maneuvers around the island in August in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan as part of an Asia tour..
Before Blinken’s visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the United States: “The United States must abandon the illusion of manipulating China from a position of strength. China and the United States must develop relations based on mutual respect and equality, and respect their differences.”
Time is running out with both the US and Taiwan holding elections next year, and China considers one of its provinces willing to reunify by force if necessary..
American and Chinese presidents meeting in September?
US President Joe Biden hopes to meet with President Xi Jinping again “in the coming months” “with the intention of talking about our legitimate differences, but also the areas where we can agree”. The two leaders held a long and cordial meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali in November 2022.
The two leaders will attend the next G20 summit in New Delhi in September. Xi was invited to San Francisco in November when the US hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.
France 24/AFP
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