US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) shakes palms with China’s President Xi Jinping on the Nice Corridor of the Folks in Beijing on June 19, 2023.
Leah Millis | Afp | Getty Photos
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese language President Xi Jinping on Monday, as the highest U.S. diplomat wraps up his uncommon two-day go to to Beijing amid simmering U.S.-China tensions.
Talking as he addressed Blinken, Xi stated that the 2 superpowers “have had candid and in-depth discussions” and pressured that state-to-state interactions ought to “at all times be primarily based on mutual respect and sincerity,” in a video carried by Chinese language state tv outlet CCTV.
“I hope that, via this go to, Mr. Secretary, you’ll make extra optimistic contributions to stabilizing China-U.S. relations,” the Chinese language chief stated.
“The 2 sides have additionally made progress and reached settlement on some particular points. This is superb,” he added, with out disclosing additional particulars.
Blinken’s 35-minute assembly with Xi on the Diaoyutai state visitor home ended at 5:09 p.m. native time (5:09 a.m. ET), the State Division stated.
The journey by Blinken makes him the highest-level American official to go to China since Biden turned U.S. president and the primary U.S. secretary of State to make the journey in practically 5 years. A gathering with Xi had not been confirmed earlier than Blinken arrived in Beijing, and can doubtless be seen as a optimistic signal that talks are going effectively.
Blinken stated U.S. President Joe Biden had requested him to journey to China as a result of “he believes america and China have an obligation to responsibly handle our relationship.”
“The US is dedicated to doing that,” Blinken stated. “It is within the curiosity of america within the curiosity of China and within the curiosity of the world.”
“I respect this chance to debate a method ahead with you,” Blinken advised Xi.
Blinken’s authentic journey plans for February had been disrupted by information of an alleged Chinese language spy balloon flying over U.S. airspace. The U.S. finally shot down the flying object, and tensions between the world’s two largest economies have since remained excessive.
It’s anticipated that Blinken’s go to to China may pave the way in which for a November assembly between Biden and Xi. The 2 world leaders final met in particular person in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of a G20 summit late final yr.
‘Open channels of communication’
Earlier, Blinken met prime Chinese language diplomat Wang Yi on Monday, after “candid, substantive, and constructive talks” with Chinese language International Minister Qin Gang on Sunday.
The assembly was anticipated to the touch on a spread of points, together with the significance of open traces of communication, Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Blinken “underscored the significance of responsibly managing the competitors between america and the PRC via open channels of communication to make sure competitors doesn’t veer into battle,” State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller stated in an announcement.
The secretary additionally “reiterated that america will proceed to make use of diplomacy to lift areas of concern and arise for the pursuits and values of the American folks.”
Wang pressured that the Blinken go to got here at a crucial juncture in Sino-U.S. relations, in an announcement launched by the Chinese language overseas ministry translated by way of Google. He stated each events should select between cooperation and battle, including that the difficulties within the nations’ ties are rooted within the U.S.’ “misguided notion of China, which ends up in unsuitable insurance policies in direction of China.”
Wang additional urged Washington to surrender its so-called “China risk principle,” to elevate sanctions towards Beijing and to not suppress China’s technological improvement.
The State Division didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Wang’s characterization of the character of U.S.-China difficulties.
China’s Xi held talks with Microsoft co-founder Invoice Gates final week, saying he hoped the friendship between the folks of China and the U.S. would proceed.
“I usually say that the muse of China-U.S. relations lies within the folks. We at all times place our hopes on the American folks and hope that the friendship between the 2 peoples will proceed,” Xi stated on Friday, based on CCTV.
Xi additionally advised Gates he’s the “first American good friend” that he’d met in Beijing this yr. Numerous U.S. enterprise leaders have launched into visits to China in current months, together with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Apple CEO Tim Cook dinner.
— CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report.