Photo: Bloomberg-
Metropolis Desk-
With little hope of making progress on the long list of issues between the US and China, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing this weekend. Analysts note that he and his Chinese counterparts can at least demonstrate that the most crucial bilateral relationship in the world is not ready to collapse.
On June 18–19, Blinken will attend meetings in China and may have a meeting with Xi Jinping, according to sources. Since Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, he will be the highest-ranking representative of the US government to travel to China.
US officials stated during a pre-tour briefing on Wednesday that they do not anticipate the trip to result in a change in how the US and China interact. That came after a contentious phone chat on Tuesday evening with Blinken, during which Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged the US to refrain from interfering in Chinese affairs.
The encounter would demonstrate that the two rivals haven’t given up on diplomacy and might pave the way for a flurry of further diplomatic engagements, including Xi and US President Joe Biden meeting later in the year.
Senior fellow at the Asia program of the German Marshall Fund Andrew Small stated that “both sides want to show the rest of the world that they are managing the relationship responsibly.”
“The global south is China’s most significant audience. It’s allies and partners for the US. Therefore, even going through the motions has some benefits for Beijing and Washington.
There are worries that their rivalry could escalate into confrontation over Taiwan, which China claims as its own because bilateral relations have deteriorated on all fronts. The two disagree on a variety of topics, including trade, microchips, and human rights.
China’s refusal to permit routine military-to-military discussions between Beijing and Washington, despite numerous US attempts, has been particularly concerning for China’s neighbors. Creating crisis communication lines was a primary priority, according to US officials on Wednesday.
The UN’s Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday that “anything that would lead to greater cooperation, greater dialogue, and a lessening of tensions between Beijing and Washington is to be welcomed.”
Although the US officials stated that Blinken’s primary objective will be “candid, direct, and constructive” discussions, they added that big issues like the flow of fentanyl precursors and Americans arrested in China are unlikely to see significant progress.
Fears of a new Cold War were temporarily allayed by an encounter at the G20 summit in Bali in November, but since the controversy in February over a suspected Chinese spy balloon, high-level communication between the nations has been scarce.
Beijing has tried to strengthen ties with nations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa after becoming unhappy with what it perceives as the Biden administration’s use of economic policies as weapons. Recently, Xi hosted several European leaders, including French President Emanuel Macron, and made diplomatic efforts to court other nations, notably Saudi Arabia, a close friend of the US.
US officials anticipate that Blinken’s visit will open the way for other bilateral encounters in the months to come, including potential visits by Janet Yellen, the US Treasury Secretary, and Gina Raimondo, the US Commerce Secretary.
Beijing agreed to the visit because, according to Yun Sun, head of the China Program at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, “it seems to be the one thing that is blocking many other things, such as working-level dialogues and the visits by other cabinet members.”
The leaders of the two nations may meet again when they go to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in San Francisco in November and the G20 meeting in India in September.
Xi does intend to visit San Francisco, according to Sun. “He wants a bilateral meeting with Biden in addition to APEC. Therefore, the foundation must be laid as soon as possible.
Source – Arab News
