The Foreign Minister of China, qin gangannounced this Sunday that he accepted the invitation to travel to the USA in the coming weeks to meet with the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. The information was confirmed from the State Department of the Joe Biden administration.
The novelty was made known precisely during the two-day visit that Blinken himself began on Chinese lands this Sunday. The objective is to mitigate bilateral tensions, in the first displacement of a head of US diplomacy to that country in almost five years.
Blinken visits China and agrees on foreign minister Qin Gang’s trip to the US
Although there will not be much progress on the toughest issues, the goal is to engage in a diplomatic thaw and maintain dialogue to manage the bilateral relationship in a “responsible manner,” according to the State Department, which Beijing diplomacy claims are “talks constructive”.
blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang at a palace in Beijing’s ancient Diaoyutai Gardens. The two men walked on a red carpet and shook hands in front of the flags of their respective countries, without comment.
Blinken’s visit was originally scheduled for February, but was canceled afterand Washington say it detected a Chinese spy balloon over US soil. He is the highest-level US official to visit China since his predecessor did it in October 2018, Mike Pompeowho later headed the policy of confrontation with Beijing of former President Donald Trump.
The American President, Joe Biden, said he hoped to meet again with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, after the extensive meeting they had in November in Bali, on the sidelines of the G20 summit. “I hope that, in the coming months, I will meet with Xi again and we will talk about the legitimate differences we have but also about how there are areas where we can understand each other,” he added.
The two leaders could meet at the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi. Xi was also invited to travel to San Francisco in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.
“Constructive Talks”
Before leaving, blinken He was optimistic, stating that the aim of the trip is “to open direct lines of communication so that our two countries can manage the relationship responsibly, which includes addressing some challenges and misperceptions and avoiding miscalculations.”
“Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that it does not turn into confrontation or conflict,” the official added.
Among the main points of contention between the two countries are trade and the issue of the autonomous democratic island of Taiwan.
China last year carried out major maneuvers around Taiwan, which were considered a rehearsal for an invasion, after then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited the island in August.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States also prompted Beijing to hold three days of military drills in April.
China’s concern
Before the visit of blinkena Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbinstated last Friday that The United States must “respect China’s core concerns” and work with Beijing. “The United States has to give up the illusion of dealing with China ‘in a position of strength.’ China and the United States must develop their relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality, respecting their differences,” he insisted.
The Biden administration has maintained the hard line, and has even gone further than the previous administration on some issues, for example the imposition of export controls to limit the purchase and manufacture in China of high-end chips “used in military applications.” “. But in other areas, such as the fight against climate change, Biden has sought to cooperate with China.
Source: Ambito
