Discussions “Helpful, frank and constructive”, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The head of American diplomacy spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, for nearly five hours on Saturday July 9, the day after a meeting of the heads of diplomacy of the Group of Twenty (G20), in Bali, in Indonesia. This is their first meeting since October.
“Despite the complexity of our relationship, I can say with some confidence that our delegations found today’s discussions useful, frank and constructive”, Mr. Blinken said. In its minutes of the meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry abounded: “The two sides, on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit, have reached consensus to ensure that the China-US joint working group achieves more results. »
“increasingly provocative activities” towards from Taiwan
“I have expressed the deep concerns of the United States over Beijing’s increasingly provocative rhetoric and activities towards Taiwan and the vital importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Strait. from Taiwan », however, added Mr. Blinken. The United States is concerned about Beijing’s increased military pressure in recent years against Taiwan, a democratic island that China considers part of its territory and has vowed to take back one day.
Mr Blinken also asked his Chinese counterpart to distance himself from Moscow and condemn “aggression” Russian against Ukraine. “This is truly the time when we all need to stand up, as one G20 country after another has done, to condemn the aggression and demand, among other things, that Russia allow access to food blocked in Ukraine »he pleaded.
The American Secretary of State says that he did not perceive ” no sign “ cooperation from Russia. The day before, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, had slammed the door of the meeting with his counterparts of the G20 after having suffered a torrent of criticism concerning the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
” Mutual respect “
At the start of this morning of discussions followed by a working lunch, MM. Blinken and Wang played the appeasement card. “In a relationship as complex and important as the one between the United States and China, there are many things to discuss”Mr. Blinken said, adding that he was expecting “ looking forward to a productive and constructive conversation”as he and Mr. Wang posed in front of the American and Chinese flags at a hotel in Bali.
“China and the United States are two big countries, so it is necessary for the two countries to maintain normal exchanges”replied Mr. Wang. “We must work together to ensure that this relationship continues to progress on the right track”he added, calling on the ” mutual respect “.
The exchange between MM. Wang and Blinken must also prepare a videoconference meeting between the American and Chinese presidents in the coming weeks. Meetings between the two countries’ top defense, finance and national security officials have also taken place over the past two months.