Blinken’s Possible Meeting with Xi on Last Day of China Talks

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken’s Visit to China

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken’s two-day visit to Beijing is coming to an end, and it has been an eventful trip. Blinken met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and there is a possibility of a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The anticipation is high, but no official confirmation has been made yet.

It’s worth noting that Blinken is the first secretary of state to visit Beijing in five years. The United States has been seeking engagement with China to reduce tensions, especially as the communist regime has been rejecting military-level bilateral exchanges with the U.S.

On the first day of his visit, Blinken had a five and a half hour meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The meeting was described as “candid” and “constructive” by the State Department.

Blinken emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication between China and the United States. He raised various issues of concern and explored opportunities for cooperation on shared transnational issues. The United States will always stand up for the interests of its people and work with allies and partners to uphold the international rules-based order.

Both sides agreed on the need to facilitate exchanges between their people. Blinken also extended an invitation to Qin to visit Washington, and they agreed to arrange a reciprocal visit in the future.

The Taiwan Issue

One of the key issues souring relations between the United States and China is Taiwan. China considers Taiwan its own and has vowed to seize it by any means necessary. The United States, although not having an official diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, is obligated to provide it with defense capabilities.

While the State Department’s readout of Blinken’s meeting with Qin did not mention discussions related to Taiwan, the Chinese readout emphasized that Taiwan is “the most important issue in Sino-U.S. relations, and the most prominent risk.”

At the recent Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern over China’s military conducting risky intercepts of U.S. and allied aircraft. He made it clear that the United States does not seek conflict but will support its allies and partners in defending themselves against coercion and bullying.

Austin warned that any armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait could have unsettling and disruptive consequences for the world.