Anthony Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart on his first day of activities in China, hoping to reestablish direct communication between Beijing and Washington after months of turbulence in diplomatic relations. The current Secretary of State is the first to travel to Beijing since Mike Pompeo did so in 2018, also marking the first time a senior U.S. government official has landed there in two years.
Blinken and his team arrived in China on Sunday with few expectations for concrete outcomes of the trip. The full agenda began with a one-on-one meeting with Qin Gang, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
The first meeting was held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. The two greeted each other with a friendly handshake in front of the journalists and then went to a meeting room that awaited them with a good amount of light, large windows bordering a lotus pond and a traditional Chinese painting hanging on the wall.
Today, I met with People’s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing and discussed how we can responsibly manage the relationship between our two countries through open channels of communication. pic.twitter.com/dPkd0aWQ5J
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 18, 2023
As reported by the State Department itself, the talks were"frank, substantive and constructive." "The Secretary emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation. The Secretary raised a number of issues of concern, as well as opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational issues with the PRC where our interests align. The Secretary made clear that the United States will always stand up for the interests and values of the American people and work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the international rules-based order," added spokesman Matthew Miller in a statement.
In addition, Blinken invited Quin Gang to Washington to resume these discussions. It is unclear whether Xi-Jinping is on the list of "senior officials" with whom the official will meet during his visit to the Asian country.
The reason for Blinken's trip to China
Blinken's main objective is to resume normal channels of communication with the Asian giant to avoid potential conflicts. The relationship between the two countries has been strained in recent months, particularly over issues related to Taiwan.
However, a State Department official spoke to reporters before the trip and confessed that they do not expect "a long list of results."
"What we are trying to do on this trip is to carry forward what President (Joe) Biden and President Xi (Jinping) agreed to in Bali late last year, which was to establish constant and regular lines of communication at high levels between our governments, precisely so that we can make sure that we are communicating as clearly as possible to avoid, as much as possible, misunderstandings and miscommunications," the official assured on Friday, June 16, hours before his departure.
