18-6-2023 (BEIJING) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a crucial diplomatic mission aimed at easing tensions between the United States and China, which have dominated global geopolitics in recent months.
Blinken’s visit marks the highest-level visit to China by an American official since President Joe Biden assumed office, and the first trip by a US Secretary of State in almost five years.
Originally planned for February, Blinken’s travel was postponed after reports of an alleged Chinese spy balloon flying over US airspace. The United States eventually downed the balloon, but the incident exacerbated already strained relations between the two largest economies in the world. Beijing maintained that the balloon was an unidentified weather tracker that had drifted off course.
During his two-day visit, Blinken is scheduled to hold a working dinner with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Sunday. There are also reports suggesting a possible meeting with President Xi Jinping on Monday.
However, expectations for a major breakthrough in US-China relations as a result of Blinken’s visit are low. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated last week that Blinken would emphasize the importance of maintaining open communication channels and would discuss bilateral concerns, global and regional issues, and potential cooperation on shared challenges.
At the recent Shangri-La Dialogue event in Singapore, the US Defense Secretary and his Chinese counterpart did not have a formal meeting. Furthermore, international travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have limited direct contact between the US and Chinese governments.
A visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, in August sparked anger in Beijing. China considers Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes its diplomatic activities. The US recognizes Beijing as the legitimate government of China while maintaining unofficial relations with Taiwan, a self-governed democratic region.
Biden’s visit to Beijing could potentially pave the way for a November meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Their last meeting was in Bali in November, just before the start of a G-20 summit.
In late May, the US Commerce Secretary met with her Chinese counterpart in Washington, D.C., and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is also expected to visit China at an undisclosed time.
China’s new Ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, arrived in the country in late May, ending a six-month period without a Chinese ambassador in that position. Around the same time, Biden expressed his belief that tensions between the US and China would begin to ease in the near future.
A potential opportunity for Biden and Xi to meet again could arise in November during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit scheduled to be held in San Francisco.
