During his two-day visit to China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed Taiwan and other thorny issues with China's top diplomat Wang Yi for about three hours in Beijing on June 19.
Mr. Wang said Mr. Blinken's visit comes at a "critical moment" in US-China relations and "a choice must be made between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation and conflict," Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Wang also said that the worsening relationship between the two countries was due to Washington’s “misperception” of China. He also urged the US not to assume that China is seeking dominance, and not to “misjudge” Beijing based on the trajectory of traditional Western powers.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepares to attend a meeting with Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of China Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 19. Photo: SCMP/AFP
President Xi Jinping's top foreign policy adviser also called on Washington to lift unilateral sanctions against China, stop "suppressing" China's technological development and not interfere in Beijing's internal affairs.
Regarding the Taiwan issue, Mr. Wang stressed that protecting national unity will always be “the core of China's core interests” and that “there is no room for compromise.”
Meanwhile, Mr Blinken struck a more conciliatory tone, stressing the need for open channels of communication to ensure “competition does not lead to conflict”.
Mr. Blinken also raised a number of issues of concern and emphasized that the US will “always protect the interests and values of the American people.”
Blinken's meeting with Wang came a day after he held six hours of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, which both sides described as "candid" and "constructive."
Mr Blinken is the highest-ranking US official to visit China since 2019, in part due to strict travel restrictions due to Covid-19. His trip comes at a time when Washington’s relationship with China is strained over a range of issues, including Taiwan, the conflict in Ukraine and technology.
The visit comes after months of increased contact between top US and Chinese officials abroad and by videoconference, amid concerns on both sides about a deterioration in relations over issues ranging from Taiwan to semiconductors and human rights.
Mr Blinken had planned to visit China earlier but postponed it in February when a Chinese spy balloon flew over US territory.
Observers say his meeting with key Chinese officials is also aimed at hammering out details for a meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Biden said on June 17 that he hoped to meet Xi “in the next few months,” possibly at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in California later this year.
Nguyen Tuyet (According to SCMP, Reuters, Al Jazeera)
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