(Washington) The United States and China began an intense and rare diplomatic sequence on Thursday, intended to help calm a tumultuous relationship, and which could lead to the announcement of an upcoming visit by President Xi Jinping.
Based on his talks in Washington, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a “stable” relationship with the United States and for the two great rival powers to confront their differences “calmly”.
“We seek to develop cooperation that will benefit both parties in order to stabilize relations between the United States and China and return them to the path of healthy, stable and sustainable development”, making it possible to “avoid misunderstandings” , he declared while being received at the State Department by the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken.
“I look forward to the constructive conversations of the coming days,” said Mr. Blinken, saying he “subscribes” to his counterpart’s comments.
The bilateral meeting must be followed by a working dinner.
On Friday, Wang Yi will meet again with Blinken and then travel to the White House for talks with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and possibly President Joe Biden himself.
No meeting with the American president has been announced, but diplomats are expecting such a favor, Mr. Blinken having been received by President Xi during his visit to Beijing last June.
The two great powers are engaged in fierce competition and claim to want to manage their relationship “responsibly”.
“We will compete with China in every way possible while respecting international rules-political, economic and others. But I’m not looking for conflict,” Joe Biden said on Wednesday.
The American president is asking Congress for an additional budget of 7.4 billion to stand up to China, militarily and economically.
The Sino-Russian rapprochement, the war in Ukraine and, above all, that between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas should also feature in the discussions, at a time when the international community is worried about an escalation of the conflict.
Wang Yi’s visit should prepare for Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, possibly on the sidelines of the next summit of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) countries in San Francisco in mid-November.
Joe Biden has repeatedly expressed his “hope” for a next meeting before the end of the year, while their last face-to-face meeting dates back to the G20 summit in Bali in November 2022.
But according to Robert Daly, expert at the Wilson Center, China first wants to ensure that the Biden administration will not seek to “embarrass” the Chinese president if he comes.
“Circle”
There are many areas of friction. The question of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory, is notably one of them.
China’s Defense Ministry on Thursday accused Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of pushing the island towards a “dangerous war situation”, following reports that Taipei plans to buy thousands of military drones.
The United States also condemns Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea, including the latest incident on Monday involving Chinese ships colliding with Philippine boats near an atoll, according to Manila.
“Any attack on aircraft, ships or the armed forces of the Philippines will have the effect of activating our mutual defense partnership,” Joe Biden warned on Wednesday.
The United States, for whom China represents its main long-term strategic challenge, fears Beijing’s expansionist aims.
In response, Washington highlights the strengthening of its alliances in Asia, with India, Japan, South Korea and the Pacific Islands. Beijing sees this as a desire to “encircle” China.
“No, we are not encircling China,” said Joe Biden, while adding “that no country should unilaterally change the rules of the game in terms of international or maritime airspace.”