A two-day meeting with Chinese officials is scheduled for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken while he is in Beijing.
The trip by Blinken is the first one by a US official to China in over five years.
According to US officials, the major objective of the discussions is to restore equilibrium to a relationship that has grown severely strained.
The trip comes five months after Blinken’s initial visit was canceled due to the entry of a rumored Chinese surveillance balloon into US airspace.
Both parties have stated that they do not anticipate any significant progress, and the US has decreased its expectations for the visit.
The aim, according to American officials, is to restore high-level dialogue and calm down the tense ties that have existed since the balloon incident.
China has conducted military drills close to Taiwan, which Beijing considers to be a part of China.
The democratically elected government of Taiwan has close connections with the US.
Meetings with the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and a top Chinese foreign policy official named Wang Yi are on the itinerary for the US secretary of state.
@telegraphnews.eu Blinken lands in Beijing, China. No red carpet, no greeting party and no high level CPC officals. #antonyblinken #beijing #china #usa #joebiden #biden #america #vattaj #vattajnews #revokefarleft #last24hour #last24hournews ♬ original sound – Vattaj News
18 June 2023 | United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing, China.
One thing that should be mentioned is that Instead of being welcomed by prominent officials, he found the Head of the Department of North American & Oceania Affairs from Chinese Foreign Ministry.
And, instead of a red carpet, he got a symbolic red line which he has already crossed, as seen in the video.
When we remember the welcome ceremonies for Palestine’s Abbas, Belarus’ Lukashenka or Russia’s Putin, the humble welcome Blinken received really sends a message.
Americans anticipate discussions to cover issues including the conflict in Ukraine, trade conflicts over cutting-edge computer technology, the fentanyl opioid crisis in the US, and China’s treatment of human rights.
Mr. Blinken’s visit was met with coldness by Chinese officials, who questioned the US’s sincerity in attempting to mend fences.
It is unclear if he will meet with Xi Jinping, the president of China. Since President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, Blinken is the highest-ranking US government official to travel to China.
“The place to start with communication is to ensure that the competition we have with China does not turn into conflict,” Blinken told reporters on Friday.