Beijing – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the second and last day of a go to geared toward stabilizing relations between the 2 powers.
The session held on the Great Hall of the People was the supply of hypothesis forward of Blinken’s journey and solely publicly confirmed about an hour earlier than it passed off. It lasted for about 35 minutes.
“President Biden asked me to travel to Beijing because he believes that the United States and China have an obligation and responsibility to manage our relationship,” Blinken instructed Xi. “The United States is committed to doing that. It’s in the interest of the United States, in the interests of China, and in the interest of the world.”
Blinken is the very best stage U.S. official to go to China since 2018. His journey was rescheduled from February after a Chinese surveillance balloon flew via U.S. airspace.
Blinken met earlier Monday with China’s prime diplomat Wang Yi for a three-hour dialogue that the State Department described as “candid and productive.”
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated in a press release that the Blinken and Wang “addressed a range of bilateral and global issues” in addition to “opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational challenges.”
“The secretary underscored the importance of responsibly managing the competition between the United States and the PRC through open channels of communication to ensure competition does not veer into conflict,” Miller stated. “The secretary reiterated that the United States will continue to use diplomacy to raise areas of concern and stand up for the interests and values of the American people.”
China’s Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that Wang instructed Blinken the assembly got here at a important time in U.S.-China relations, and that it’s essential to “reverse the downward spiral.”
Wang stated an important consider stabilizing relations between the 2 nations is mutual respect.
Regarding Taiwan, Wang stated the United States should oppose Taiwanese independence and that China has no room to compromise on the problem.
On Sunday, Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang held ‘candid’ and ‘direct’ talks in Beijing, the State Department stated.
During the seven-and-a-half hour assembly, Qin accepted an invite to return to the United States. Agreement was additionally reached on extra flights between the 2 nations.
In addition, either side will proceed to work on a number of points ‘at a working stage,’ stated a senior State Department official.
Americans wrongfully detained in China
Children of Americans who the U.S. considers wrongfully detained by Chinese authorities requested Blinken to lift their fathers’ instances along with his Chinese counterparts.
‘Behind each hostage is a household struggling each day,’ stated ‘Bring Our Families Home Campaign’ in a tweet Sunday.
‘This Sunday would be the seventh time I’ve missed Father’s Day with my dad,’ stated Harrison Li. ‘Releasing my dad is without doubt one of the best issues that the Chinese authorities can do to point out they’re severe about normalizing relations.’
Harrison Li’s dad, Kai Li, is an American citizen detained in China since September 2016. He was later sentenced to 10 years in jail for espionage, a cost that his household rejects.
Alice Lin is the daughter of American pastor David Lin, who was detained beneath unclear circumstances in 2006 and later sentenced to life in jail on costs of contract fraud. Lin’s household staunchly maintains his innocence. Lin’s sentence was later decreased, and he’s anticipated to be launched in 2029.
‘Secretary Blinken, we miss my dad. Please do all the pieces attainable to convey him dwelling,’ Lin instructed VOA.
Families of Americans Wrongfully Detained in China Urge Blinken to Prioritize Release
Taiwan
Washington has stated China’s navy escalation within the Taiwan Strait was ‘a worldwide concern.’
A senior State Department official instructed VOA it’s an ‘abiding curiosity’ of the U.S. to keep up peace and stability throughout the Taiwan Strait. China is seen as ramping up financial coercion concentrating on Taiwan forward of its presidential election.
In May, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines instructed senators {that a} Chinese invasion of Taiwan may halt the world’s largest superior semiconductor manufacturing, wiping out as much as $1 trillion per yr.
‘I’ll say this quantity is means too small’ as a result of it solely prices about 6% of China’s gross home product, stated Chen-Yu Li who’s the chief economist of Taishin Financial Holdings in Taiwan.
Li stated a navy battle within the Taiwan Strait will have an effect on different Asian economies comparable to Japan and South Korea, whose GDP totals at the very least $5 trillion. He additionally cited the market worth of tech giants comparable to Apple, Nvidia, AMD which Li estimates is at the very least $3 trillion.
‘If Taiwan is beneath assault, the stock market within the U.S. could vanish $3 trillion,’ Li stated throughout a May 12 occasion hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
‘If I’m Xi Jinping, I’ll be very completely happy to assault Taiwan. It’s simply 6%.’
NGOs push for human rights
In a signed letter to Blinken, 42 nongovernmental organizations urged the highest U.S. diplomat to carry the Chinese authorities accountable for its human rights abuses, citing repression towards abnormal individuals who participated in peaceable protests.
‘Hong Kong police detained over 20 folks for commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre after banning the annual Victoria Park candlelight vigil,’ stated the letter.
Some data for this story got here from Agence France-Presse and Reuters.