China hails 'progress' in U.S. relations after Xi-Blinken talks
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[June 19, 2023]
By Humeyra Pamuk
BEIJING (Reuters) -China's Xi Jinping hailed "progress" in talks with
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on Monday, the final
engagement of a closely-watched trip aimed at ensuring the superpower's
disputes do not spiral into conflict.
Blinken, the first holder of his post to meet the Chinese leader since
2018, strode towards Xi with his hand outstretched at the Great Hall of
the People, a venue China often uses for greeting heads of state -
positive signals in the choreography of diplomacy.
The two shook hands, then the delegations faced each other across a
conference table bedecked with pink lotus flowers, with Xi at the head
and Blinken just to his right.
Their roughly 30-minute meeting could help facilitate a summit between
Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden later in the year.
Biden and Xi last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali,
Indonesia in November, pledging more frequent communication, although
ties since then have deteriorated over issues ranging from Taiwan to
espionage concerns.
"The two sides agreed to follow through the common understandings
President Biden and I had reached in Bali. The two sides have also made
progress and reached the agreement on some specific issues. This is very
good," Xi told Blinken at the start of the meeting.
Blinken responded by saying the two countries "have an obligation and
responsibility" to manage their relationship and that the United States
was "committed to doing that".
His meetings in Beijing, including talks with China's top diplomat Wang
Yi and foreign minister Qin Gang, had been "candid and constructive," he
added.
It was not immediately clear from Xi's remarks or previous readouts of
Blinken's meetings exactly what progress had been made
Chinese state media said Xi told Blinken in the otherwise closed-door
talks that China "hopes to see a sound and steady China-U.S.
relationship" and believes that the two countries "can overcome various
difficulties".
But he also urged the U.S. not to "hurt China's legitimate rights and
interests", a signal of potential flashpoints such as Taiwan, the
democratic island Beijing claims as its own, which had cropped up during
Blinken's previous meetings.
TAIWAN CORE ISSUE
The lack of regular and open communication channels between the world's
top two economies has sent jitters around the world, and Beijing's
reluctance to engage in regular military-to-military talks with
Washington has alarmed China's neighbours.
But Xi's comments, and the body language of the visit, appeared to
signal a will to make progress, analysts said.
"China's messaging has been pretty positive," said Wu Xinbo, a professor
and director at the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in
Shanghai.
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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the
People in Beijing, China, June 19, 2023. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Pool
"China showed that it still hopes to work with the U.S. to stabilise
and improve relations. I think that while China is not optimistic
about Sino-US relations, it has not given up hope either."
Earlier on Monday, Blinken underscored the importance of open
communication channels to manage their competition during more than
three hours of talks with Wang, which the State Department called
"productive".
Describing the U.S.-China relationship as being at a low point, Wang
said the root cause was the United States' wrong perception of
China.
"We must take a responsible attitude toward the people, history and
the world, and reverse the downward spiral of U.S.-China relations,"
Wang said during the meeting with Blinken, according to a statement
released by China's foreign ministry.
Blinken's trip, which was postponed in February after a suspected
Chinese spy balloon flew over U.S. airspace, is closely followed
worldwide as further deterioration of ties could have global
implications on financial markets, trade practices and routes and
supply chains.
Beijing's tone on Taiwan has been particularly pointed throughout
Blinken's visit. Wang said "China has no room for compromise or
concessions", according to the Chinese readout.
The United States has long stuck to a policy of "strategic
ambiguity" over whether it would respond militarily to an attack on
Taiwan, which Beijing has refused to rule out.
When asked last year, U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington would
defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, though aides later
said his comments did not reflect a policy departure from the
long-standing "one China" policy.
U.S. officials have underscored that the United States does not
support Taiwan independence.
U.S. officials have been playing down the prospect of a major
breakthrough in talks, but they and analysts expect Blinken's visit
will pave the way for more bilateral meetings in coming months,
including possible trips by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Beijing; Additional reporting by
Jason Xue in Shanghai, Sophie Yu, Yew Lun Tian, Dominique Patton,
Joe Cash in Beijing, Jeanny Kao and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing
by Humeyra Pamuk and John Geddie; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and
Andrew Heavens)
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