The US and China clashed over various contentious bilateral, regional, and global issues during a meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday.
Overview
Blinken, who is on a two-day visit to China, emphasised the dangers of misunderstandings and miscalculations — concerns that Wang also echoed.
The meeting, occurring on the final day of Blinken’s second visit to China in the past year, took place amid expanded talks between the countries despite growing and increasingly serious differences. This trend has raised concerns about the potential for conflict between two of the world’s largest economies.
While Blinken and Wang stressed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication, they also expressed concern about persistent and deepening divisions that threaten global security. These divisions were brought into focus earlier this week when US President Joe Biden signed a massive foreign aid bill containing several elements perceived as problematic by the Chinese.
Comments from Wang
“Overall, the China-US relationship is beginning to stabilise,” Wang told Blinken. “But at the same time, the negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building and the relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions,” he added.
“Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral? This is a major question before our two countries and tests our sincerity and ability,” Wang stressed.
Hear the opening remarks by Wang Yi and Antony Blinken as China-US top diplomats meet in Beijing
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) April 26, 2024
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday in Beijing.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of… pic.twitter.com/IqYvAfKcQ9
The Chinese diplomat further outlined, without being specific, well-known Chinese complaints about US policies and positions on the South China Sea, Taiwan, human rights, and China’s right to conduct relations with countries it deems fit.
“China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges,” he said, demanding that the US refrain from interfering in China’s internal affairs.
Comments from Blinken
Blinken asserted that the Biden Administration places a premium on US-China dialogue even on issues of dispute. He noted there had been some progress in the past year but suggested that talks would continue to be difficult.
“I look forward to these discussions being very clear, very direct about the areas where we have differences and where the United States stands, and I have no doubt you will do the same on behalf of China,” Blinken told his counterpart.
“There is no substitute in our judgement for face-to-face diplomacy in order to try to move forward, but also to make sure we’re as clear as possible about the areas where we have differences at the very least to avoid misunderstandings, to avoid miscalculations,” he added.
Context
The high-level talks between the two superpowers come days after Biden approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other US allies. The legislation includes $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza, and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan.