US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Chinese VP Han Zheng as US-China contacts increase ahead of possible summit
- In Reports
- 11:12 AM, Sep 19, 2023
- Myind Staff
In an effort to repair their strained relationship, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
On Monday, Blinken and Vice President Han Zheng had a meeting at the Chinese mission to the UN. When they spoke, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had just finished two days of negotiations with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Malta and was on her way to Moscow to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The meeting between Blinken and Han was the most recent in a string of high-level discussions between US and Chinese representatives that may prepare the way for President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet later this year at an Asia-Pacific Economic conference in San Francisco.
"I think it's a good thing that we have this opportunity to build on the recent high-level engagements that our countries have had to make sure that we're maintaining open communications and demonstrate that we are responsibly managing the relationship between our two countries," Blinken said in brief remarks at the top of the meeting.
“The world expects us to responsibly manage our relationship,” Blinken said in brief remarks at the beginning of his meeting with Han. “The United States is committed to doing just that,” he added.
“From the perspective of the United States, face-to-face diplomacy is the best way to deal with areas where we disagree, and also the best way to explore areas of cooperation between us,” Blinken said.
Han explained to Blinken that there are "difficulties and challenges" in US-China relations and that both nations must demonstrate "more sincerity" and put up more effort to "meet each other halfway."
Blinken, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Biden's climate envoy John Kerry have all visited China this year to help defuse tensions that have arisen since the US military shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that was flying over the US.
The White House stated on Sunday that Sullivan's meeting with Wang in Malta aimed to "responsibly maintain the relationship" during a time of tense relations and mutual mistrust between the opposing countries. They had "candid, substantive, and constructive discussions," according to the statement.
Russia's military intervention in Ukraine has caused a rift between the US and China. China has stayed neutral in the dispute, arguing that while a nation's territory must be respected, the West also needs to consider Russia's security worries about NATO expansion. It has accused the US of prolonging the fighting by providing arms to Ukraine, weaponry that the US says Kyiv needs to fight back against Russia.
Image source: Reuters
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