CHINA-UNITED STATES Blinken also met with Xi in attempts to unfreeze relations

“Frank and in-depth talks” in Beijing for the US Secretary of State. After a long and exhaustive meeting with Wang Yi, he too was received by the president, who applauded the “progress” made in the bilateral talks. On the Taiwan question, Washington confirmed his “one China” stance, but also his concern about “provocative actions” in the Straits.

Beijing ( / Agencies) – Half an hour meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After hours of “frank and in-depth talks” with Wang Yi, the Party’s strongman for international relations, and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. This is how the visit to Beijing of the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, ended today, the first meeting at this level since 2018, which had been postponed in February due to the spy balloon crisis.

Since the day before, the slogan had been to reduce tensions in relations, and the meeting with President Xi – which was not guaranteed, since Blinken is not head of state – gave a clear signal of the message that Beijing wanted to convey. The Chinese president, after shaking hands with his American guest in the Great Hall of the People, hailed the “progress” made in the bilateral talks.

The international community, Xi Jinping said, “does not want to see conflicts or clashes between China and the United States or choose sides, and hopes that the two countries will coexist in peace and maintain friendly and cooperative relations. Neither party should try to accommodate the other at will, much less deprive it of its legitimate right to development”.

Beyond these words and the verification of the reopening of a frank dialogue between both parties, very little has been specified on the points on which Washington and Beijing could find a convergence. The only concrete results that have been announced are the fact that Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Giang will reciprocate his visit to the United States in the coming months and that there will be signs of a thaw in terms of air connections and cultural cooperation. .

For his part, Blinken – who met alone with the journalists – also reported that the talks had been “solid” and “constructive”. On the ongoing war, Beijing reiterated that it would not provide Russia with lethal aid to use in Ukraine, but Washington warned of the risk of similar actions by private Chinese companies.

As for Taiwan – the center of diplomatic confrontation today – Blinken reiterated the “one China” policy and the US opposition to the island’s independence, but also warned against “provocative actions” by China in the Strait and the possible consequences for the world economy. He also added that Washington remains “deeply concerned” about human rights violations, particularly in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.

The US Secretary of State also reported that the talks addressed the issue of fentanyl, the synthetic drug that is the leading cause of death among young people in the United States: the two countries agreed to create a joint task force against the spread of this drug .

Finally, Blinken assured the Chinese people and government that the United States “is not trying to contain them economically.” China’s “great economic success,” he concluded, also benefits the United States.