BEIJING: China has urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to address increasing disagreements or risk a “downward spiral” between the two sides as talks opened in Beijing. The US top diplomat paying his second tour to China in less than a year, voiced hope for progress but said he would directly raise matters of difference, which are likely to include Taiwan, Russia, and trade.
Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, receiving the US Secretary of State at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in the capital’s ancient gardens, said ties between the world’s two major economies were “beginning to stabilize” after President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden met at a November summit.
“But at the same time, the negative factors in the ties are still increasing and building,” Wang stated. He said that the relationship is facing all types of disruptions. China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our main interests are facing several challenges. He questioned, should China and the US keep in the right direction of moving forward with stability, or return to a downward spiral? “This is a major question before our two countries and tests our sincerity and ability.”
Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Beijing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Beijing and Washington to manage their differences and issues “responsibly” as he went on a charm offensive ahead of expected tough meetings.
A day before meeting Chinese leaders to tackle thorny matters including Taiwan, trade and Russia, Blinken’s trip to Shanghai has seen him sample local food, watch a basketball match and stroll along the city’s well-known Bund promenade.
Blinken has said that the US President Joe Biden was expressed resolve to “direct and sustained” talks between the world’s two main economies following years of mounting tension. Blinken said that he thought that it is significant to underline the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out their differences, which are actual and seeking to work through them.
