2023-06-18 00:20:59
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in China early Sunday morning (local time). During his two-day visit to the capital Beijing, Blinken says he wants to campaign for open channels of communication between the two rival countries. The “intense competition” between China and the United States should not lead to “confrontation or conflict,” he explained in advance. It is the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China since 2018.
Blinken had actually wanted to travel to China in February. However, the visit was canceled at short notice in the dispute over the overflight of a suspected Chinese spy ball over the United States. Relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated significantly in recent years over trade and human rights issues, dealings with Taiwan, and a host of other issues, including allegations of Russia’s war of aggression once morest Ukraine.
The program of Blinken’s two-day stay includes a series of meetings with high-ranking Chinese government officials. The government of US President Joe Biden sees the greatest geopolitical challenge in China. China, in turn, accuses the United States of hegemonic ambitions.
“Both sides are aware that we need communication channels at the highest level,” a senior State Department official told reporters during a fuel stop in Tokyo en route to Beijing. “We are at an important point in relations where it is important to stop the downward spiral in relations, as our Chinese friends often say.”
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