China is not seeking to displace the United States, Xi Jinping told the US secretary of state at a meeting in Beijing aimed at easing tensions.
The Chinese leader suggested “progress” had been made after meeting Antony Blinken on Monday afternoon, the final engagement of a long-awaited trip.
“In general, the two sides had frank and in-depth discussions,” Xi said in remarks broadcast on state television. “Both sides have made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues, and that’s great.”
China respects US interests and does not seek to displace them, Xi said, adding that the US should respect China.
Mr. Blinken, the highest-ranking US diplomat to visit China in five years, is completing a two-day trip at a time when relations between Washington and Beijing have sunk to their lowest level in decades.
Mr Xi met with other visiting US secretaries of state, but Monday’s talks were not publicly confirmed until 45 minutes before the pair met, underscoring the sensitivities of the entire trip – originally scheduled for February, but canceled after the United States shot down a Chinese spy. ball.
Mr Blinken said he agreed with Chinese leaders on the need to “stabilize” relations, but was “lucid” about the broad disagreements.
“In every meeting, I stressed that direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage differences and ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict,” said Mr. Blinken to reporters in Beijing after two days of talks.
He added: “We are under no illusions about the challenges of managing this relationship. There are many issues on which we deeply – even vehemently – disagree.
Earlier Monday, Blinken spoke for three hours with China’s top foreign policy official, Wang Yi.
Mr. Wang issued an ultimatum, saying Washington must choose between “cooperation or conflict” before Mr. Blinken meets with Mr. Xi.
Mr Blinken, the highest-ranking US diplomat to visit China in five years, was on his last day of a two-day trip aimed at improving bilateral relations, which have sunk to their lowest level in decades. .
“There is a need to make a choice between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation or conflict,” Wang told Blinken, according to a reading from Chinese state media.
A US reading of this meeting has yet to be released.
‘Downward spiral’
“We need to reverse the downward spiral of China-U.S. relations, push for a return to a healthy and stable path, and work together to find a correct way for China and the United States to get along,” Mr. Wang.
He also warned that China had “no room to compromise or concede” on the issue of Taiwan, an island nation with a democratically elected government that Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to annex.
Mr. Wang’s words echoed those of Qin Gang, the Chinese foreign minister, whom Mr. Blinken met on Sunday for more than seven and a half hours.
Relations have deteriorated significantly between the United States and China in recent years on everything from trade to technology to Taiwan.
China has stepped up its military exercises near Taiwan – a show of force that Taiwanese and foreign governments say could spark a physical confrontation.
“Frank” discussions
US officials said they did not expect major breakthroughs from Blinken’s visit, although they hoped to restore high-level diplomatic contacts and pave the way for future visits and meetings between the two parts.
The two countries said on Sunday that Mr. Qin had accepted an offer to travel to the United States at a later date.
These discussions were “frank, substantive and constructive,” said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the US State Department.
Mr Blinken underscored “the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication on all issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation”, he added. .
His visit was originally scheduled for February, but was canceled after the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon, sparking a diplomatic row with Beijing.
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