U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Monday with China’s vice president on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly as the Biden administration and Beijing step up high-level contacts ahead of what could be a leader-level summit this fall.
Blinken and Vice President Han Zheng held talks Monday at the Chinese mission to the United Nations. Their discussion came as China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Moscow meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after wrapping up two days of talks with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta.
The quick succession of U.S.-China contacts is fueling speculation that President Joe Biden may meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November at an Asia-Pacific Economic conference in San Francisco.
“I think it’s a good thing that we have this opportunity to build on the recent high-level engagements that our countries have had to make sure that we’re maintaining open communications and demonstrate that we are responsibly managing the relationship between our two countries,” Blinken said in brief remarks at the top of the meeting.
Han told Blinken that U.S.-China relations face “difficulties and challenges” that require both countries to show “more sincerity” and make additional efforts to “meet each other half way.”
Blinken visited Beijing over the summer after canceling a planned trip there in February following the shootdown of a Chinese surveillance balloon over U.S. territory. Blinken was followed to Beijing by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, climate envoy John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
“From the perspective of the United States, face-to-face diplomacy is the best way to deal with areas where we disagree and also the best way to explore areas of cooperation between us,” Blinken said. “The world expects us to responsibly manage our relationship. The United States is committed to doing just that.”
The White House said Sunday that Sullivan’s meeting with Wang in Malta was intended to “responsibly maintain the relationship” at a time of strained ties and mutual suspicion between the rival powers. It said the pair had “candid, substantive and constructive discussions.”
The White House said Sullivan and Wang discussed the relationship between the two countries, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Taiwan Strait. They also discussed artificial intelligence, counternarcotic efforts and the status of detained U.S. citizens in China.
However, after those talks, Wang traveled immediately to Russia for several days of security consultations with senior Russian officials.
China and Russia have grown closer as relations with the West have deteriorated for both. China is looking for support as it seeks to reshape the U.S.-led international order into one that is more accommodating to its approach. Last month, it helped engineer an expansion of the BRICS partnership, which invited six more countries to join what has been a five-nation bloc that includes China and Russia.
The U.S. and China are at odds over Russia’s military action in Ukraine. China has refrained from taking sides in the conflict, saying that while a country’s territory must be respected, the West needs to consider Russia’s security concerns about NATO expansion. It has accused the U.S. of prolonging the fighting by providing arms to Ukraine, weaponry that the U.S. says Kyiv needs to fight back against Russia.
Wang’s trip to Moscow also came a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Russia following a six-day visit that included talks with President Vladimir Putin at a far eastern spaceport, visits to aircraft plants and inspections of nuclear-capable strategic bombers and an advanced warship. Kim’s trip fueled Western concerns about an arms alliance that could boost Russian arsenals for fighting in Ukraine.
© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
19 Comments
Login to comment
elephant200
Summit is welcome and necessary. But do not bring up Ukraine, the Russo - Ukraine war, Putin, these are absolutely not in agenda. China is very clear from day1, China supports Russia and Putin regardless of all reasons to against from the West.
TaiwanIsNotChina
They haven't been clear at all: their peace proposal was a generic mess. Also they have hardly stated they are anti-West as that would lose them the final shreds of respectability they have in Europe.
TaiwanIsNotChina
The US should end strategic ambiguity over Taiwan. If China wants to blow up trade over it, then better sooner rather than later.
TokyoLiving
Sure, recognizing China's sovereignty over its province of Taiwan and starting good and healthy trade relations with China, it is in the real interest of the US to have China as a friend..
Yrral
Blinken Blinked and cow tow
PTownsend
The US ruling caste need to keep their business ties with China to maintain their wealth, they and others in the 'west's ruling castes help further enrich China's ruling caste. China became a frienemy after USRepublicans Nixon and Kissinger found ways to further enrich the US and west's ruling caste. China's brand of state capitaliam matches well with the west's 'market capitalism'. And the planet pays the physical price for the capitalist's unchecked greed.
Sh1mon M4sada
Talk and having an open channel to avoid conflict is always good. The only problem is the Democrats and certain business dominated sections of the Republicans operate using decades old ideology and protocols that blind Freddy anticipates.
The Chinese, Russian, Iranian, NK etc. can see right through it all. Just look at the rinse n repeat of Russia invasion, NK sending rockets towards Japan, Chinese intimidating Taiwan, Iran kidnapping for ransom....it happened under Obama, and now it happens under Biden. So predictable.
TaiwanIsNotChina
No... I meant ending the real strategic ambiguity by promising to defend Taiwan against unprovoked attack.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Yeah, it's almost as if they don't like Democrats. Who do you trust to fight them?
quercetum
Taiwan is just a tool for the U.S. to bargain. It’s the US defense industry vs US Tech industry. Huawei has surprised the industry with its indigenous made 9000 Kirin chip. The U.S. sanction has failed again.
Sh1mon M4sada
No one, even under Trump, there were Republicans who wanted to sell stuff to Iran and urged Trump to stay with the Obama/Iran deal.
Mark
"“I think it’s a good thing that we have this opportunity to build on the recent high-level engagements that our countries have had to make sure that we’re maintaining open communications and demonstrate that we are responsibly managing the relationship between our two countries,” Blinken said in brief remarks at the top of the meeting.""
AMEN, yes Sir, as many are singing " KEEP TALKING "
Eastman
talk always better than war,sanctions etc.
lets see outcome out of it.
stormcrow
“. . . and the status of detained U.S. citizens in China.”
Yes, it’s a fine line between Russia and China. Nice that they’re talking, but there still need to be lots of restrictions regarding sensitive technology.
happyhere
Huawei's latest phone showed the uselessness of this strategy.
TaiwanIsNotChina
I know a blockade is an act of war and will be seen as such no matter how much jumping up and down China or internet commentators do. I also know you are not pro-Taiwan independence.
TaiwanIsNotChina
What client state? There are no US troops on Taiwan. You don't think that every country that buys weapons from Russia is a client state of Russia.
Also Russia was not a party to Minsk. Anything else I can help you with?
lincolnman
Well of course Russia remained silent during the Trump administration -- they had their stooge in the White House...
As for the Chinese, on whose "watch" did Xi take over Hong Kong? And who gave the CCP millions in clothing contracts? And who said "it's great" that Xi is dictator for life?
And don't get me started on those "love letters" from one of the world's cruelest dictators...
TaiwanIsNotChina
Taiwan would be controlled from Peking today if not for the US. Sorry if that upsets you.