Chinese President Xi Jinping has hailed the progress made in bilateral ties between the US and China during talks with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stating that it is “very good”. The comments came as a positive tone emerged from Blinken’s high-stakes visit to Beijing, which focused on stabilizing and repairing relations between the world’s two largest economies. Xi expressed hope that Blinken's visit would make positive contributions in stabilizing China-US relations, while the US diplomat described the discussions as “candid and productive”.
Blinken’s meeting with Xi also laid the groundwork for in-person talks between Xi and US President Joe Biden later this year. US-China relations hit rock bottom in February after a Chinese spy balloon caused Blinken to cancel a planned trip to Beijing. Since then, the Biden administration has been working towards restoring ties with China to reduce the risk of miscommunication escalating into conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers.
However, there are still challenges ahead, including Washington lifting sanctions on Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu, which has prevented Shangfu from meeting with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin. Geopolitical strains are also deterring foreign investment in China's economy, which is also facing domestic headwinds.
Blinken, the most senior US official to visit China in five years, met with high-level officials from both sides to discuss a range of contentious issues, including human rights, technology, trade, weapons sales to Taiwan and the risks associated with China’s territorial disputes. The Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, told Blinken during their meeting that Taiwan is the “core of the core interests” of China and “the most prominent risk” in China-US ties and that there can be “no compromise” over the island, which Beijing views as a breakaway territory it must reclaim by force if necessary.
While it remains to be seen how the US will interpret the two-day mission, the visit has been seen as a catalyst for more bilateral interactions between the two nations. The optimistic tone coming out of Beijing raises expectations that relations between the two superpowers can reach a more stable footing, which will be welcomed by US allies and some of China’s largest trading partners who have been caught up in ruptured ties.