Xi: China does not seek to challenge the US

Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed that Beijing "does not seek to challenge or replace" Washington when receiving US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Country-to-country interactions should always be based on sincerity and mutual respect," Chinese President Xi Jinping told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting in Beijing today, Xinhua reported. "I hope Secretary Blinken, through this visit, can make positive contributions to stabilizing China-US relations."

The meeting took place at around 4:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Hanoi time) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Mr. Blinken is on a two-day visit to China, in the context of relations between the world's two largest economies becoming tense and cold due to issues such as Taiwan, trade, and a series of other disagreements.

According to President Xi, the Chinese side has made its position clear and the two sides agreed to implement the common understanding that he and US President Joe Biden reached during their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022.

"China respects the interests of the United States and does not seek to challenge or replace the United States," Xi said, adding that the two countries "have also made progress and reached agreements on some specific issues."

Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19. Photo: AFP — Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19. Photo: *AFP*

In a press conference after the meeting, Secretary Blinken said he had raised many issues of disagreement, including the situation in Taiwan. Washington and Beijing have not yet pushed to establish regular military-to-military contacts, but Mr. Blinken said that several senior US officials could visit China in the coming weeks.

"Both sides have obligations and responsibilities to manage the bilateral relationship, and we are determined to do that," Secretary of State Blinken said.

The US official added that China has repeatedly pledged not to provide lethal aid to Russia for use in Ukraine. "We have seen no evidence to the contrary. The US's concern is that Chinese companies could provide technology for Russia's campaign. We have urged the Chinese government to be more vigilant about that," he said.

Mr. Blinken is the first US Secretary of State to visit and meet with Chinese leaders since Mr. Mike Pompeo visited Beijing in October 2018. Secretary of State Blinken previously met with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi.

Mr. Wang said that the US's misconceptions have caused bilateral relations to decline, calling on Washington to choose "cooperation or conflict, dialogue or confrontation". He said that China and the US need to reverse the downward trend in bilateral relations, coordinate to find the right direction for Beijing and Washington to harmonize, and issue warnings regarding the Taiwan issue.

Commenting on the meeting between Mr. Blinken and Mr. Wang Yi today, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the two sides had a "frank and productive" exchange. Mr. Blinken "stressed the importance of managing US-China competition responsibly, through open channels of communication to ensure competition does not turn into conflict," Mr. Miller said.

The US Secretary of State is scheduled to hold a press conference in Beijing before leaving China the same day.