Antony Blinken in Beijing as US, China take another step to repair ties

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, April 24

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today embarked on a three-day visit to China, where the two sides are likely to “resume” talks on simmering issues. They will hold deliberations on the ongoing works which President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed at a summit in California last year.

Blinken and his counterpart Wang Yi will review the work done on “resuming counter-narcotics cooperation, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence, and strengthening people-to-people ties”, the US State Department said.

They will also reiterate the importance of the US and China partnership to “responsibly manage competition even in areas where our countries disagree”.

Blinken is reportedly carrying a message for Beijing that the US and its European allies are accepting China’s sale of weapon components and dual-use products to Russia, which are helping Moscow modernise its arms factories. The US believes that China is helping Russia in its fight against Ukraine.

The visit comes at a time when the US Senate has approved a whopping $60 billion aid to Ukraine. The proposal will now go to Biden for final approval.

Last week, the G7 foreign ministers’ meet in Italy issued a statement: “China should ensure that this support (to Russia) stops.”

The issue of Taiwan and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea will be on the table when Blinken and Wang meet. Recently, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had spoken to his Chinese counterpart Admiral Dong Jun via video-conferencing and laid down the US’ vision for the South China Sea.

The US Department of Defense had said, “The Secretary ( Austin) reiterated that the United States will continue to fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows.” It was in reference to the South China Sea.

Austin emphasised the importance of military-to-military communication, the statement said.

The US said it would continue to engage in active discussions with China about future engagements between defence and military officials at multiple levels.

The US and China had conducted the 17th round of Defence Policy Coordination Talks in January and a round of working-level military maritime consultative agreement talks earlier this month.

US, Chinese officials discuss Indo-Pacific

Beijing: Top US and Chinese naval officials held a rare meeting in China on Wednesday amid the growing tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea and discussed the “increasing security challenges” in the Indo-Pacific region. Admiral Stephen Koehler, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, met Admiral Yuan Huazhi, political commissar of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, on the sidelines of the 19th Western Pacific Naval Symposium being organised by the Chinese navy at Qingdao. PTI

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