US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to China “toiled” to rebuild channels of communication between Washington and Beijing in a bid to halt the rapid decline in relations. However, there has been no sign of any breakthrough in terms of improving ties between the two major economies of the world. The diplomats at South Block, who closely analysed and monitored Blinken’s engagements in Beijing told The Daily Guardian that the only thing that Blinken could achieve was that the two sides agreed to remain in touch over various issues. Xi’s statement and his key aide Wang Yi’s remarks are ample indications of the same.
In his opening remarks during the meeting with Blinken, President Xi Jinping hinted at China’s grievances, saying: “State-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. I hope that through this visit, Mr Secretary, you will make more positive contributions to stabilising China-US relations.” Diplomatic sources analysing the statement told this newspaper, “The leader of China which is hardly known for showing mutual respect or sincerity is giving lectures to others on it.” Diplomats also asked: “How can one see this kind of statement as any signal of hope for dramatic breakthroughs in repairing the relationship.” Others argued, “Definitely, the two sides may have attempted to rebuild the channels of communication which came crashing down following differences and soaring tensions over certain issues including Taiwan over the last few months.” Sources said that Blinken and Xi or the Secretary’s counterpart Qin Gang may have focused only on issues related to visas and commercial flights between US and China. Xi’s key aide Wang Yi, who is China’s top foreign policy official, took on a tough tone during talks with the US Secretary, laying the blame on Washington for recent tensions.
Diplomatic sources in New Delhi said that Xi and foreign minister Qin Gang may have used diplomatic language to voice grievances, but apparently, as part of a well-planned strategy, Wang went on record in a much more straightforward manner. Wang said that the US should cooperate with Beijing instead of “hyping the China threat theory”.
This was stated in an official Chinese readout. Wang reportedly said that Washington must lift sanctions on Beijing and stop suppressing the country’s technology development. He reportedly accused the US of “recklessly interfering in China’s internal affairs” on issues such as Taiwan. Blinken is also reported to have told the Chinese officials and diplomats that the two powers had to responsibly manage their rivalry and communicate better to ensure completion does not veer into conflict. The State Department described Blinken’s meeting with Wang as “candid and productive.”