December 27, 2024

On April 26, 2024, President Xi Jinping met with US Secretary of State Blinken at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Mark Schiffelbein | AFP | Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday that Washington needs to view China’s developments “positively” in order to improve bilateral relations.

Xi Jinping called this a “fundamental issue that must be resolved” in order for China-U.S. relations to truly stabilize, improve and move forward, according to an official press release.

The Chinese leader’s comments came as the United States imposed restrictions on Beijing’s ability to acquire high-end technology and came close to banning social media app TikTok unless its Chinese parent company ByteDance sells it.

shine with seat In Beijing on Friday, relations between the two countries were strained as they compete for technological supremacy and they disagreed over the Middle East conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Speaking before a closed-door meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Blinken said there was no substitute for “face-to-face diplomacy” and stressed the need for the United States and China to avoid “miscalculations.”

On June 19, 2023, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) shook hands with Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. LEAH MILLIS/POOL/AFP (Getty Images)

Leah Millis | AFP | Getty Images

He told reporters that both sides need to ensure “that we understand as clearly as possible the areas where we have differences and at least avoid misunderstandings, miscalculations.”

Wang told Blinken in his speech that U.S.-China relations “are starting to stabilize” as dialogue and cooperation increase.

“This is welcomed by our two peoples and the international community,” he said. But he warned that “negative factors” were rising and accumulating, which was causing “all kinds of disruptions.”

“China’s legitimate right to development has been unreasonably suppressed, and our core interests are facing challenges,” he said, telling Washington “not to step on China’s red lines.”

Last year, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco.

In a call with Xi in early April – the first such call since July 2022 – Biden raised a series of U.S. concerns, According to White House transcripts of the call.

tense relationship

Tensions have been simmering for years trade war The alleged impact of China’s installation of spy balloons over the United States. Recently, the United States accused China of assisting Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.

Ahead of Blinken’s visit, senior state department official The top U.S. diplomat is planning to warn Beijing not to support Russia’s efforts to rebuild its defense base, which could harm European security.

Thursday, Blinken Meeting with Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Secretary Chen Jiningand “raised concerns about trade policy and non-market economic practices,” according to the U.S. State Department.

Spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that “the United States seeks healthy economic competition with China” and provides a level playing field for American workers and companies operating in China. said in a statement.

This is Blinken’s second visit to China following his high-stakes diplomatic mission last June to ease tensions between China and the United States.

He said on Friday it was important to demonstrate “we are responsibly managing our most important relationship”.

“I hope we can make some progress on issues where the two presidents agree we should work together, while also clarifying our differences and intentions and making each other’s positions clear.”

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