Global Courant
The United States is increasing engagement with China as Washington sees the potential for miscalculation with the country that is increasingly becoming its main competitor, US officials said.
The US State Department announced on Wednesday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing this week. During the trip, Mr. Blinken is expected to meet with senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the State Department said.
The trip is seen as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to improve relations with Beijing after a series of diplomatic clashes between the two countries.
“We are going to Beijing with a realistic, confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possible,” Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said in a statement. conference call with reporters on Wednesday.
In the conference call, Kurt Campbell, coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council at the White House, said: “Now is precisely the time for intensive diplomacy.”
Mr Campbell last week called for maintaining “proper diplomacy” with Beijing, saying the potential for miscalculation with China was growing.
He made the comments at a panel discussion organized by the Washington-based Hudson Institute.
Secretary Blinken on Tuesday called for “keeping open lines of communication” with China to avoid “miscalculation and conflict” during his phone call with counterpart Qin Gang, according to a State Department statement.
The Chinese minister called on the United States to respect “China’s core concerns” and “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition,” a statement said. of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Analysts say the likelihood of a breakthrough on key bilateral issues remains low during Mr Blinken’s visit.
“The best thing this visit can achieve is to create a new space for bilateral relations and pave the way for further cabinet-level meetings,” said Dennis Wilder, former National Security Council director for China.
“Talking is important even when there is no progress,” said Patrick Cronin, head of security for the Asia-Pacific at the Hudson Institute.
Mr Cronin said both sides could see progress on Ukraine, trade and environmental change.
“Driven by a mutual desire to work together, when officials meet later this year, I think Secretary Blinken will be able to find some areas of common interest. A peaceful end to the war in Ukraine, the start of dialogue on Artificial Intelligence, trade and climate change are all possible,” Mr Cronin said.
Secretary Blinken’s visit to Beijing was agreed to at President Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022.
That meeting did not provide a breakthrough, but was seen as an important step in stabilizing relations between the two countries. But tensions escalated as the two sides clashed over hot-button issues including Taiwan and Ukraine. In February, Mr. Blinken canceled his trip to Beijing after a Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace.
Since then, the US has made continuous efforts to resume dialogue with Beijing despite the tensions.
In recent weeks, there have been high-level talks between the two sides, a potential thaw in bilateral ties.
Last week, Mr. Kritenbrink and Ms. Sarah Beran, the National Security Council’s senior director for China, traveled to Beijing to meet Ma Zhaoxu, the vice foreign minister, and Yang Tao, the director of the North American affairs department./VOA
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