US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing today to discuss a range of issues, including and the increasing tension due to China's support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
The conversation between Blinken and Wang is expected to be held behind closed doors at the state residence "Diaoyutai" to last for several hours as both sides try to keep progress in their ties despite a wide-ranging and difficult agenda.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Chinese foreign minister told his American counterpart that the "big ship" of relations between Washington and Beijing has stabilized, but some "negative factors in relations are still increasing and accumulating". "And the relationship faces all sorts of disruptions. China's legitimate rights to development are being subjected to unreasonable pressure, and our core interests are being challenged, Wang said.
Blinken responded that "proactive diplomacy" was needed to make progress on the agenda set by Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November. "In our view, face-to-face diplomacy cannot be replaced," the US secretary of state said, noting that he wanted to ensure "maximum clarity" in the areas where the two sides have differences to avoid misunderstandings.
According to State Department officials, one of the main topics of today's negotiations will be China's support for Russia. According to US diplomats, Washington is ready to take action against Chinese companies that help retool and supply Russia's defense industry. They also pointed out that Beijing's support for Moscow could hurt US-China relations at a time when they are stabilizing after being hit in 2022 by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
Despite frequent high-level contacts and the creation of working groups to improve military communication and solve problems in the field of world trade, tensions between Beijing and Washington remain, Reuters commented. Taiwan and the disputed South China Sea remain flashpoints. The US also wants to see more progress in limiting China's supply of chemicals used to make fentanyl.
Chinese officials and state media have expressed doubt about the extent of possible progress on several fronts, such as an editorial in the "China Daily" the two countries are said to be "largely speaking different languages".
"As for the conflict in Ukraine, the world clearly sees that the Ukrainian issue is not an issue between China and the United States, and that the American side should not turn it into one,", the Chinese publication also wrote.
Blinken is likely to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping today before traveling to Washington, although neither side has yet confirmed the meeting. In addition, the US diplomat will speak with Chinese Minister of Internal Security Wang Xiaohong.