Chinese President Xi Jinping and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have agreed to work towards stabilizing relations between their countries to prevent conflicts, but no major
breakthroughs were announced during Blinken's visit to Beijing.
The meeting between Xi and Blinken, which lasted around 30 minutes on Monday, marked the final engagement of Blinken's closely watched trip, during which he also held talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
There is hope that these two days of discussions could pave the way for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Xi later this year. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November, where they pledged to increase communication. However, since then, tensions have escalated over various issues, including Taiwan and espionage concerns.
"The Chinese side has made our position clear, and the two sides have agreed to follow through on the common understandings reached between President Biden and me in Bali," Xi told the US secretary of state. He added that "progress has been made, and agreement has been reached on specific issues."
According to China's state news agency Xinhua, during the closed-door talks, Xi expressed China's hope for a sound and stable relationship with the US, believing that the two countries can overcome challenges. He also urged the US not to infringe on China's legitimate rights and interests.
Blinken stated that both countries have an obligation and responsibility to manage their relationship, and the US is committed to doing so. He acknowledged vast disagreements but emphasized the importance of direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels to prevent competition from turning into conflict.
"We have no illusions about the challenges of managing this relationship. There are many issues on which we profoundly - even vehemently - disagree," Blinken told reporters in Beijing.
The US State Department described the discussions as candid, substantive, and constructive, with Blinken raising concerns about human rights violations in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as the wrongful detention of US citizens in China. Despite the differences, both sides agreed to cooperate on transnational challenges, including climate change and public health. Photo by U.S. Department of State from United States, Wikimedia commons.