US Secretary of State Blinken has arrived in China for his visit. There he will meet high-ranking representatives of the People’s Republic. The mood between the two countries is currently very tense.
Antony Blinken stands on the stairs and waves. It is the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China in five years – and a first meeting after serious diplomatic tensions between China and the US.
A long list of results is not expected for the visit, according to the US State Department in the run-up to the trip. Blinken emphasized that it is about working for the communication channels between the two countries. Accordingly, the intense competition between China and the United States should not lead to confrontation or conflict, he said.
Shortly before Blinken’s arrival in China, US President Joe Biden also signaled his willingness to talk at the highest level. “I hope to meet Xi again in the coming months and discuss our legitimate differences, but also how we can come to terms on specific areas,” Biden said.
dialog with conditions
Talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang are on Blinken’s agenda today. This is reported by the Reuters news agency, citing government circles. A meeting with head of state and party leader Xi Jinping should also be possible.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, said ahead of the visit that China’s door to dialogue is always open. However, with conditions: “I would like to emphasize once again that the USA should not imagine that it is negotiating with China on the basis of its position of power,” said Wang. “China and the US must develop their relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality, respecting differences in their historical, cultural and social development paths, and caring about each other’s core interests and major concerns.”
Numerous controversial issues
The relationship between the two largest economies in the world is more tense than it has been for a long time. There are numerous issues of controversy. Among other things, it is about human rights issues, China’s threats against the democratically governed island of Taiwan, mutual allegations of espionage and access to future technology.
China, for example, accuses the United States of trying to keep the People’s Republic economically small through sanctions and of interfering in internal affairs with Taiwan. The People’s Republic sees the island state as part of its own national territory and repeatedly threatens Taiwan with military force.
mutual espionage allegations
Wang Huiyao, founder and chairman of the Chinese think tank Center for China and Globalization CCG, understands the narrative of the Chinese state and party leadership. “There shouldn’t be so many high-level US visits to Taiwan,” he said. “Even Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, then in her role as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, endangering the status quo.” That makes things really difficult. “There is so much foreign influence on the issue. This is really a danger that draws a lot of attention to the Taiwan Strait, the strait between China and the island of Taiwan.” China must react to this – and then there will be military exercises.
Recently, mutual allegations of espionage had reignited tensions between China and the United States. Blinken had actually wanted to travel to China in February. However, he had canceled the visit at short notice in the dispute over the overflight of a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the United States.