Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Beijing on June 19 in a potentially crucial step toward stabilizing the relationship between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies.
President Xi welcomed progress after shaking hands with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People, a grand venue usually reserved for greeting heads of state.
U.S. and China agree to stabilize ties
Blinken and Xi both stressed the importance of having a more stable relationship, as any conflict between the world’s two largest economies would create global disruption.
Blinken said that both sides agreed on the need to stabilize the relationship. “Direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to manage our differences and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict”, he said.
“The two sides have also made progress and reached an agreement on some specific issues. This is very good,” Xi told Blinken across a long table bedecked with pink lotus flowers.
Had a candid, substantive, and constructive conversation with People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping in Beijing today. We discussed a range of important issues, including the need to manage our relationship responsibly. pic.twitter.com/Q8kuMm6kly
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 19, 2023
In response, Blinken said the two countries have a responsibility to manage their relationship and that Washington was “committed to doing that.”
At a news conference concluding his two-day trip to Beijing, Blinken said that the United States had accomplished its objectives for the trip, which included directly addressing its concerns, establishing channels for dialogue, and exploring potential areas of cooperation. However, Blinken acknowledged that making progress in the relationship was not a straightforward task.
“The relationship was at a point of instability, and both sides recognized the need to work to stabilize it,” Blinken said before leaving the country.
“But progress is hard. It takes time. And it’s not the product of one visit, one trip, one conversation. My hope and expectation is we will have better communications, better engagement going forward,” he added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday afternoon at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/sBlh3ksoeJ
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) June 19, 2023
Biden and Xi last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last year and pledged more frequent communication. However, US-China ties since then have deteriorated over several issues, including Taiwan, espionage accusations and other concerns.
This visit marks Blinken’s first trip to China as Secretary of State and the highest-level mission since President Joe Biden assumed office. The meeting, which was originally scheduled for February but postponed due to the “balloon incident”, is seen as crucial in maintaining open channels of communication and avoiding further confrontation and calls for “decoupling” from business communities.
Blinken meets FM Qin Gang
Earlier, the top U.S. diplomat also met Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The highly anticipated meeting between Qin Gang and Antony Blinken took place, aiming to steer the relations between the two countries back on track amidst heightened tensions. The seven-hour meeting was described by both sides as “candid, substantive, and constructive.”
Today, I met with People’s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing and discussed how we can responsibly manage the relationship between our two countries through open channels of communication. pic.twitter.com/dPkd0aWQ5J
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 18, 2023
US-China relations
During the meeting, Qin described the US-China relationship as being at its “lowest point” since diplomatic ties were established. He emphasized the importance of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, which were proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Qin expressed China’s commitment to building a stable and constructive relationship and urged the U.S. to adopt an objective and rational perception of China.
Both China and the U.S. reached several important agreements during Blinken’s visit.
- The two sides agreed to implement the common understandings reached by the two presidents in Bali and effectively manage their differences.
- Both sides agreed to maintain high-level interactions and Blinken invited Qin to visit Washington D.C., which Qin accepted.
- Consultations on the guiding principles of China-U.S. relations will continue, and specific issues will be addressed through the joint working group.
- The two countries also emphasized the importance of facilitating more people-to-people and educational exchanges, including expanding flights between the two countries.
While it is not expected for all difficult issues to be solved in one or two meetings, starting the conversation is seen as important.
Taiwan question
Qin Gang and Antony Blinken also discussed Taiwan. Qin emphasized that the Taiwan question is of utmost importance to China’s core interests and poses significant risks to the China-U.S. relationship.
“The Taiwan question is the core of China’s core interests, the most consequential issue and the most pronounced risk in the China-U.S. relationship,” Qin said, reiterating China’s position on the region.
He called on the U.S. to adhere to the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communique, which acknowledge Taiwan as part of China. Qin also expressed the hope that the U.S. would fulfill its commitment to not support “Taiwan independence.”