The US secretary of state began talks with China’s top envoy Monday and could meet President Xi Jinping on the final day of a trip to Beijing aimed at improving severely strained ties. Antony Blinken met for seven and a half hours on Sunday with Foreign Minister Qin Gang, more than expected, and the two sides agreed to keep up communication to avoid all-out conflict. The meetings were “candid, substantive and constructive,” the State Department said late Sunday.
The meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse was the first encounter between the two in their current roles. The two countries have been on a diplomatic tightrope over various disputes – from Taiwan to trade and the fentanyl crisis fuelling the US opioid epidemic.
In a meeting whose tone was sharper than expected, Wang told Blinken that US-China relations are at a critical juncture and that the two sides must choose between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation or conflict. He pressed the US to adhere to the One China principle, as confirmed in three joint US-China communique, respect Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose “Taiwan independence.”
While the meeting didn’t produce significant progress on several issues, including China’s claim to sovereignty over Taiwan and its human rights record in the Xinjiang region, it showed that the two sides were keen to try and reopen regular channels of communication to prevent unintended mishaps from spinning into full-blown conflict. Blinken also pressed the Chinese to release detained American citizens and took up Beijing’s offer to visit Washington at an undetermined date. The two sides agreed to work towards increasing flights between the two countries, which were shut down during the pandemic.
Blinken met with Qin again on Monday, and both sides issued a joint statement that described the talks as “candid, in-depth, and constructive.” The two sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and promote mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, including countering terrorism and proliferation, promoting regional stability and prosperity, and addressing global challenges such as climate change and financial security.
The two also agreed to work towards restoring more flights between the two countries, which were suspended during the pandemic, and to encourage educational exchanges. Both sides urged the other to take steps to stop the flow of fentanyl precursors into the United States, which is fuelling the opioid crisis.
Attention is now focused on whether Blinken will get to meet Xi when he concludes his two-day trip to Beijing later Monday, which would be a first for the top US diplomat. A meeting with Xi is considered a crucial step toward reestablishing the lines of communication that have broken down in recent years, raising concerns in Washington that a miscalculation or misunderstanding could quickly lead to a clash between the world’s most significant powers. But sources say it’s unlikely that a face-to-face meeting with the president will be possible during this trip.
