Top officials’ meetings in China open up window for pragmatic engagements
China and the US are on the “right trail,” US President Joe Biden said on Monday, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his two-day visit to Beijing. China and the US agreed to stabilize their relations and keep communication lines open at a time when ties have plummeted to a low level.
Experts said Chinese top officials’ meetings with Blinken have opened up a window for pragmatic engagements between the two sides. If Washington can truly turn its words into actions, a meeting between the two top leaders can be expected in November at the APEC summit.
After a rare meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Blinken said he called for “direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels” and to “responsibly manage differences and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,” US media reported.
Commenting on the trip, Biden told reporters that Blinken did “a hell of a job,” and said “We’re on the right trail here,” Reuters reported. Biden has said he hopes to meet President Xi in the next few months.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday that through the meeting, both sides recognize that the current state of China-US ties is at their lowest point for a long time, and they must move toward improvement, as any further deterioration may lead to unknown and unbearable consequences. However, Blinken is still bandying words on the Taiwan question, trying to use it as leverage to interfere with China.
The upcoming two months are crucial for practical discussions and achieving tangible results. If these lead to concrete outcomes, it would significantly promote the development of bilateral relations, marking a qualitative step, Lü noted.
As some Western media suggest that Blinken’s visit have “paved the way” for more contacts, Chinese observers said it would be more appropriate to say that he is “clearing the way,” as people from various fields of the two sides have had a strong and urgent desire for engagement but had been blocked by the White House.
They urged the Biden administration not to let partisan struggles or domestic political interference derail the rare progress that both sides have made from this chance.
Right after the resumption of talks between China and the US, Japanese government officials expressed hope that the event can “serve as an opportunity to recalibrate Japan-China relations,” Kyodo News reported, saying that Japan is seeking an opportunity for a potential meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Xi during international conferences scheduled for this year.
The easing of China-US ties is especially a relief to US allies, who had been stuck in a dilemma as they were pushed to form an anti-China coalition against their will, Lü said. “As for countries like Japan who have been the most proactive followers of the US’ anti-China rhetoric, this is an embarrassing moment, but we welcome dialogues from all parties,” the expert said.
One day after Blinken’s visit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to a question raised by Reuters on an increase in the number of China-US flights.
Spokesperson Mao Ning said at Tuesday’s media briefing that the relevant authorities of China and the US are maintaining communication on the issue, and are willing to work together in a flexible and pragmatic manner to promote the increase of passenger flights.
People-to-people exchanges between the two countries have recently seen a series of “heart-warming interludes,” as Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates visited Beijing on the heels of other US business icons including Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk.
Experts said it delivered a firm and clear message that the American people are determined to keep the bond unbroken despite chilly diplomatic relations, and a stable and healthy China-US relationship is in the interests of both countries and the wider world.
(Global Times)
