US Secretary of State Blinken invited his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang to Washington and the two sides agreed to arrange the plan.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken had "frank, substantive, and constructive talks" with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on June 18, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. "The secretary emphasized the importance of dialogue and maintaining open channels of communication on all issues to reduce the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation."
Secretary Blinken also "raised a number of issues of concern, as well as opportunities to explore cooperation on transnational issues with China where we share interests," Miller added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands before their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 18. Photo: AFP
He said Secretary Blinken had invited his Chinese counterpart to Washington “to continue discussions and they agreed to arrange such a visit at a mutually convenient time”.
Both men expressed a desire to stabilize relations between the two powers and prevent competition from turning into conflict, according to several US State Department officials. Secretary Blinken made it “very clear” during the meeting in Beijing that the US does not want to separate from China and that there was an agreement for the two sides to continue negotiations to make progress in a number of areas.
Meanwhile, according to Chinese state media, at the meeting, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his US counterpart that Beijing is committed to creating a "stable, predictable and constructive" relationship with Washington.
He also raised concerns related to China's core interests, including the Taiwan issue, describing it as the "biggest risk" in US-China relations.
Secretary of State Blinken postponed a visit to Beijing in February amid tensions between the two countries over the US shooting down of a Chinese balloon off the coast of South Carolina. He is the highest-ranking US government official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang welcomed the US State Department leader at the door of a villa on the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse campus in Beijing, instead of inside the building as usual.
The two men chatted as they walked in, with Mr. Qin asking Mr. Blinken in English about his trip from Washington. They then shook hands in front of the Chinese and American flags.
Neither man made any comments to reporters after entering the meeting room. Their meeting lasted five and a half hours before moving to a working dinner, a State Department spokesman said.
Since last week, US officials have consistently downplayed the prospect of a major breakthrough during Secretary of State Blinken’s visit to China, but said his main goal was to establish open and sustained channels of communication to prevent conflict from breaking out.
US officials and analysts expect Mr. Blinken’s visit to pave the way for more bilateral meetings between Washington and Beijing in the coming months, thereby setting the stage for meetings between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Biden at multilateral summits later this year.
Vu Hoang (According to Reuters )
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