BEIJING: Antony Blinken, the US State Secretary, on Wednesday called for open lines of communication as he spoke with the Chinese foreign minister before planned face-to-face discussions in Beijing.
In recent years, relations between the two most significant economies in the world have deteriorated due to various concerns, including Taiwan, trade, and human rights. Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Sunday for talks to reduce tensions following the abrupt cancellation of a previous visit in February.
In his call with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Wednesday, Beijing time, Blinken said they “discussed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication as well as bilateral and global issues.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also claimed that Blinken had stressed “the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage the US-PRC relationship to avoid miscalculation and conflict responsibly.”
Blinken “made clear the US would continue to use diplomatic engagements to raise areas of concern and potential cooperation,” Miller said.
Beijing’s interpretation of the conversation was more aggressive, stating that Qin had expressed concern about the “new difficulties and challenges” posed to bilateral relationships since the year’s beginning. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Qin claimed that “it is obvious who is accountable.” “China has always viewed and managed China-US relations under the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation put forward by President Xi Jinping,” he continued.
Blinken in Beijing –
Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing would be the first trip by a top US diplomat to China since his predecessor Mike Pompeo in October 2018. Presidents Joe Biden and Xi met in Bali in November and agreed to try to prevent tensions from soaring out of control, including by sending Blinken to Beijing.
But Blinken abruptly cancelled a trip scheduled in early February after the United States said it detected — and later shot down — a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the US mainland.
The two sides have more recently looked again to keep tensions in check, including an extensive, closed-door meeting between Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, and senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Vienna last month.
In contrast to his predecessor Donald Trump’s more totally hostile stance at the end of his term, Biden has explored limited areas of cooperation with China, such as climate change. But there are still numerous problems where the two nations are sharply apart. The White House claimed last week that China had been running an intelligence operation in Cuba for years and updated it in 2019 to strengthen its presence there.
A base in Cuba, which lies 90 miles (150 kilometers) off Florida’s southern tip, would be viewed in Washington as a direct challenge to the continental United States.
When asked about the base at a routine press conference, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, stated he was “unaware of the situation” before criticizing US policy towards Cuba. —AFP/APP
