Antony Blinken visits Beijing amid hopes for U.S.-China ‘thaw’

Can the U.S. and China make nice? That was the question hanging in the air as Antony Blinken visited Beijing on Sunday, marking the first time a U.S. secretary of state has traveled to China since 2018.

During hours of meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Blinken called for improved communications between the two powers to prevent a crisis amid ongoing tensions, according to the State Department.

The push came after years of Chinese saber-rattling toward Taiwan, the self-governing island territory that Beijing claims as its own.

“The secretary made clear that the United States will always stand up for the interests and values of the American people and work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open and upholds the international rules-based order,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken came to the table concerned about Chinese military expansion around the world and after the U.S. warned China not to provide deadly military assistance to Russia, The New York Times noted.

For his part, Qin was expected to urge the U.S. not to get involved with Taiwan, one of Beijing’s priorities. Prior to Sunday’s confab, he told Blinken in a phone call to respect “China’s core concerns” and “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

Blinken is scheduled to have a second day of meetings Monday. It’s not yet known whether he’ll sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the Times noting the decision will likely be left to the last minute.

Blinken previously planned to visit China in February, but tabled the trip after the U.S. detected and shot down a high-altitude Chinese surveillance balloon floating across the States. Beijing has accused the U.S. of operating its own surveillance balloons over China, allegations denied by American officials.

“This silly balloon that was carrying two freight cars worth of spying equipment was flying over the United States, and it got shot down, and everything changed in terms of talking to one another,” President Biden said last month.

“I think you’re going to see that begin to thaw very shortly.”

Blinken’s visit could eventually lead to a tête-à-tête between Biden and Xi. Biden said Saturday that he hopes to hold such a meeting in the coming months to discuss the wide range of problems in the U.S.-China relationship.

Along with issues stemming from Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, those include longstanding U.S. objections to human rights abuses in China. On Sunday, Blinken urged his Chinese counterpart to free detained U.S. citizens and crack down on Chinese-made fentanyl, a big factor in the ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S.

“China hopes that the U.S. will adopt an objective and rational perception of China, work with China in the same direction, uphold the political foundation of China-U.S. relations and handle unexpected and sporadic events in a calm, professional and rational manner,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Blinken and Qin agreed Sunday to have the Chinese diplomat visit Washington, with a date to be determined, according to the State Department.

With News Wire Services