Blinken’s visit did not advance relations with China

US President Joe Biden on Monday expressed his belief that relations between the United States and China are on the “right path” but said he did not believe that a rare visit by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to China had made progress.

“we are on the right track”

Commenting on US-China relations, Biden said, “We are on the right track.” “I don’t feel … that it happened,” he added, in response to a question from reporters if he felt progress had been made.

But Biden praised the US Secretary of State and said he did a great job during his visit.

China and the United States agreed yesterday, Monday, to stabilize their fierce rivalry so that it does not turn into a conflict, but they failed to make any major breakthrough during a rare visit by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Beijing.

President’s handshake

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed the “progress” after shaking hands with Blinken in the Great Hall of the People, a large hall usually reserved for heads of state.

Blinken and Xi stressed the importance of having more stable relations between the two countries, as any conflict between the two largest economies in the world would lead to global unrest.

Obstacle to military communication channels

However, China refused to consider Washington’s offer to resume military communication channels and indicated that US sanctions are the obstacle to this step.

Each side appears to have stuck to its position on everything from Taiwan to trade, including US actions targeting China’s chip industry, human rights and the Russia-Ukraine war.

“a good step forward”

The White House described the meeting as “a good step forward.” White House spokeswoman Karen Jean-Pierre said Blinken’s public message was to stress the importance of maintaining open channels of communication to reduce risk.

During one of the most high-profile contacts between the United States and China since President Joe Biden took office, it was not clear how the two countries would overcome
Their differences, but they agreed to continue diplomatic contacts with more visits in the coming weeks and months.

Washington achieved its goals.

During a press conference at the end of his two-day visit to Beijing, the first by a US Secretary of State since 2018, Blinken said that Washington achieved its goals from the visit, including raising its concerns directly, trying to open channels for dialogue, and exploring areas for cooperation. The visit, which was scheduled for February, was postponed after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over US airspace.

But the US secretary said the progress was not immediate.

“Relationships were in a period of instability, and both sides recognized the need to work on stabilizing it,” Blinken said before leaving China.