This is Blinken’s second visit to China in 10 months, aimed at improving relations between the superpowers after tensions last year. Blinken acknowledged that significant progress had been made. However, he criticized China’s support for Russia, which increases the threat it poses to Ukraine.
“China is a major supplier of microelectronics and nitrocellulose, a key component in the production of munitions and rocket fuel that Moscow uses to boost its defense industry. It would be difficult for Russia to sustain its offensive in Ukraine without Chinese support,” Blinken said.
Both sides have expressed the opinion that the relations between the countries are becoming more stable and communication is more intense, but disagreements where they exist are becoming more and more serious.
Blinken: The risk of misunderstandings and miscalculations must be minimized in US-China relations
Recently, the talks between China and the US have indeed become more intense, but there are a number of issues where the two sides differ, and disagreements on certain issues are even deepening. There is usually some tension in meetings between the two sides, and both Beijing and Washington do not shy away from condemning the other on various issues.
Shortly before Blinken’s visit, the United States passed a law that would have forced the Chinese company that owns TikTok to sell the app or face a ban in the United States.
Also, Washington recently approved its latest aid package, which included military aid to Taiwan. Both of these cases drew criticism from Beijing.
Meanwhile, China continues its aggressive actions near Taiwan, in the South China Sea and continues to support Russia in its war with Ukraine. This in turn leads to growing discontent in the United States. And there are disagreements not only about Russia and Taiwan, but also about trade and human rights.
During the visit, Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two talked for five hours both about cooperation and disagreements.
And after this meeting, both came to a not very happy conclusion – disagreements are becoming more and more serious.
Because of this, Blinken later emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the two parties, warning of the dangers of misunderstanding and miscalculation in mutual relations. Before Blinken’s visit, it was unclear whether he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the meeting did take place on Friday.
The Chinese president said that the two sides should be partners, not rivals. However, he also did not hide that Washington and Beijing need to resolve a number of issues.
The US wants China to stop supplying Russia with dual-use goods. Blinken said that Russia would have difficulty sustaining its attacks in Ukraine if China did not support the Kremlin.
Before Blinken’s visit, the media reported that the secretary of state might warn China that if it continues to support the Russian defense industry, the United States will impose sanctions on Beijing. However, it is not clear whether such a warning has been issued.
“This poses not only an immediate threat from Russia in its war in Ukraine, but it also poses a medium and long-term threat that many Europeans feel. What I heard in my discussions at the G7 and NATO was a shared concern about this. I had detailed conversations with to several European leaders about their concerns. And we’re all looking at ways to limit these actions. And we’re also looking at actions that we’re fully prepared to take if we don’t see changes. We’ve already put sanctions on over 100 Chinese companies and so on further. And we are ready to take additional measures, and I made that clear during my meetings today,” said Blinken.
The US and China also announced they will hold the first formal talks to address concerns about artificial intelligence. Such negotiations will take place in the coming weeks.
Both sides sharing the risks and challenges of using artificial intelligence and how to better manage them.
The main thing that this meeting shows is that both sides are willing to talk and look for some kind of solutions, realizing that sitting on each side of the trenches will not benefit either Washington, Beijing, or the rest of the world.
