Diplomatic thaw
Blinken reaches out in Beijing
06/18/2023, 5:21 p.m
The first talks will take place behind closed doors. But it is already clear that US Secretary of State Blinken’s flying visit to Beijing is of great importance. It is about making the relationship between the two countries, which has recently been severely disrupted, “responsible”.
After months of arguments with serious mutual allegations, the two great powers USA and China are again in direct contact with each other. The two foreign ministers, Antony Blinken and Qin Gang, held several meetings in Beijing. For US President Joe Biden’s top diplomat, it is the first visit to China since he took office more than two years ago. Blinken is making up for a trip that was originally supposed to take place in February – but was canceled at short notice due to allegations of espionage against China.
At the beginning of their talks with their delegations, the two ministers sat opposite each other at two long tables in the Diaoyutai state guest house in Beijing. At first they spoke in camera. Further meetings with senior Chinese government officials are planned for Monday. There is also speculation that Blinken could meet with head of state and party leader Xi Jinping. So far, there has been no confirmation from Beijing. Blinken also wants to comment on the course of the visit at a press conference on Monday.
First visit since 2018
The US Secretary of State named open communication as the goal of his trip so that both countries could “responsibly shape their relations”. Against the background of the strict Chinese corona measures – but also because of the very tense relations – there had been no visit by a US Secretary of State to Beijing since 2018. The trigger for the cancellation in February was a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States, which was eventually shot down.
The relationship between the two countries is at a low point. Among other things, China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, Beijing’s threats against the democratic island republic of Taiwan and the ongoing trade conflict between the two countries are causing controversy. The Biden government sees China as the greatest geopolitical challenge and is taking a hard line. China, in turn, accuses the United States of hegemonic ambitions.
Biden downplays balloon launch
A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry signaled readiness for a new dialogue before Blinken’s arrival. At the same time he made conditions. The US should stop “saying one thing and doing another” and fantasizing about a “position of strength” against China, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday. China is committed to a gradual return of relations to a “stable development path”.
Shortly before Blinken’s arrival, Biden also held out the prospect of a meeting with head of state and party leader Xi Jinping in the near future. “I hope to meet with Xi again in the coming months and talk about legitimate differences that we have. But also about areas where we can get along,” Biden said in the metropolitan city of Philadelphia.
Biden downplayed the incident with the downed balloon: He doesn’t think the leadership in Beijing knew where the balloon was and how it was equipped. “I think it was more embarrassing than intended.” Xi Jinping also made a conciliatory statement at a meeting with Microsoft founder Bill Gates in Beijing on Friday. “The basis of China-US relations lies in the people,” a spokesman said. “We have always had hope in the American people and hope that the friendship between the two peoples will continue.”