A handshake, then a closed meeting in Beijing.. Blinken on a trip to melt the ice

On the last day of his trip, which was described as a visit to melt the ice, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met Monday in Beijing with the Chinese chief foreign affairs official, Wang Yi, on the last day of his visit to this country aimed at Improve strained relationships severely.

closed meeting

The two men met at the “Diaoyutai” state guesthouse in Beijing, and briefly exchanged pleasantries before heading out for a closed-door meeting.

postponed visit

Yesterday, Sunday, the US Secretary of State landed in Beijing, after postponing his previous visit, which was expected last February, due to the flight of a suspected Chinese spy balloon in US airspace, to become the most senior US official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.

short talks

The high-ranking US visitor and his accompanying delegation were greeted by Chinese Foreign Minister Chen Gang at the door of a villa in the courtyard of the Diaoyutai Palace of Hospitality in Beijing, where the two had a short conversation in English before shaking hands in front of the Chinese and American flags.

“One visit is not enough”

After meeting Gang, Blinken said that the problems with China cannot be solved with one visit, indicating that it was a good start.

“I had constructive and useful talks with my Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, in Beijing,” he added.

‘most significant threat’

On the other hand, the Chinese Foreign Minister confirmed Sunday that the Taiwan file represents the “most prominent threat” to relations with the United States, according to official media, after talks with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken in Beijing.

Blinken in a meeting with Wang Li in Beijing – Reuters

“The Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests, and it is the most important issue in Sino-US relations and the most prominent threat,” Chen Gang told the US Secretary of State, according to what was reported by the official CCTV.

The Chinese minister also assured Blinken of Beijing’s commitment to building stable relations with Washington.

Strained relationships

It is noteworthy that relations between the two countries deteriorated in various fields, which raised fears that they might clash militarily one day over the island of Taiwan, which China says belongs to it.

Disagreements over trade, Washington’s efforts to rein in China’s semi-transportation industry and the latter’s human rights record also complicated the restoration of relations.