Blinken met with the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in a palace located in the ancient gardens of Diaoyutai, in Beijing. The two men walked on a red carpet and shook hands before the flags of their respective countries, without comment.
Blinken’s visit was originally scheduled for Februarybut it was canceled after Washington said it detected a Chinese spy balloon over US territory
US President Joe Biden said he hopes to meet again with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, after the extensive meeting they had in Bali in November, on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
“I look forward to meeting with Xi again in the coming months and discussing the legitimate differences we have but also about how there are areas in which we can understand each other,” he added.
The two leaders could meet at the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi. Xi was also invited to travel to San Francisco in November for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.
“open lines”
Before leaving, Blinken was optimistic, stating that the goal of the trip is “to open direct lines of communication so that our two countries can manage the relationship responsibly, which includes addressing some challenges and misperceptions and avoiding miscalculations.” .
“Intense competition requires a sustained diplomacy to guarantee that does not turn into confrontation or conflict“, the person in charge added.
Among the main points of contention between the two countries are trade and the issue of the autonomous democratic island of Taiwan.
China carried out large maneuvers around Taiwan last year, which were considered a test for an invasionafter the then speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited the island in August.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to the United States also prompted Beijing to hold three days of military drills in April.