Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Friday, as the two countries work together to maintain a fractious relationship despite economic, security disputes states and geopolitical conflicts in East Asia, the Middle East and Ukraine.
Both China and the United States said they hoped to make progress on a number of smaller, more pragmatic fronts, including improving communications between their militaries and facilitating travel between countries. But they remain deadlocked on basic strategic issues, including trade policy and territorial conflicts in the South China Sea and Taiwan.
And with other disputes on the horizon, both sides acknowledge the risk of the relationship sliding into deeper conflict.
The Biden administration is deeply concerned that cheap Chinese exports are threatening American jobs and is worried about China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war. And China has accused the United States of seeking to encircle Chinese interests in the Pacific.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Blinken spent more than five hours with China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, during meetings and working lunches at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing.
In his opening speech, Mr. Wang took a more conciliatory tone than before, telling Mr. Blinken that “the Sino-US relationship is starting to stabilize” and that the future of the relationship will depend on the decisions of both countries. During Mr. Blinken’s visit last year, Mr. Wang blamed because of the deterioration of relations with the United States, which he said required “self-reflection.”
But Mr. Wang also warned on Friday that negative elements in the relationship were “increasing and building”.
“The relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions,” Mr. Wang said. “China’s legitimate right to development has been unjustly suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges.”
Mr. Blinken responded that he hoped to move forward with agreements on topics including anti-drugs and safety issues related to artificial intelligence.
Mr. Blinken responded: “I hope that we can make some progress on the issues where our presidents have agreed that we should cooperate, but also clarify our differences, our intentions and make clear to each other our views”.
U.S. officials want China to make progress in stopping the flow of chemicals used to make fentanyl into the United States and increase communications between their militaries, among other goals. Chinese officials say they want to promote more cultural exchange between the countries and pressure the US to stop questioning Chinese students at the border.
Despite efforts by both sides to improve relations, there are more factors that seem to be driving the two countries apart than keeping them together. Geopolitical disputes in Ukraine and the Middle East have posed new challenges. And as the election nears in the United States, the Biden administration is under pressure to provide more protections for American factories against imports from China.
In recent weeks, U.S. officials have begun urgently raising concerns about China’s economic support for Russia, saying they see it as a key factor in progressing the war. war. They have raised the possibility of further sanctions, including on Chinese banks.
During a briefing with reporters in mid-April, a senior Biden administration official said China has provided Russia with significant amounts of semiconductors, drones, machine tools and a flammable material called nitrocellulose. Those products are helping fill critical gaps in Russia’s supply chain that could cripple its war effort, causing Russia’s defense industry to expand faster than U.S. officials once believed. thought.
And during a government-sponsored export control conference held in Washington in late March, officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told executives at US technology companies that China has recently taken the lead in its longstanding defense industry. research cooperation, which for decades has been led by Russia.
China denies providing weapons to Russia’s war effort, which Washington says would be a red line. However, on the other hand, Chinese officials show no intention of narrowing their relationship with Russia. On Thursday, shortly after Mr. Blinken arrived in Beijing from Shanghai, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia announced that he would visit China in May, in what could be his first foreign trip. he has since been re-elected last month.
China has yet to confirm the visit. But when Mr. Xi met the Russian Foreign Minister in Beijing earlier this month, Mr. Xi said he and Mr. Putin had agreed to “maintain close communication to ensure the smooth and stable development of Sino-Russian relations.”
The United States has little leverage to influence China’s dealings with Russia, he said Maria Papageorgiou, a lecturer at the University of Exeter in England who researches Sino-Russian relations. China has been careful not to openly side with Russia in the war, giving itself plausible deniability. And even as the United States threatens more sanctions against Chinese companies, China has found ways to circumvent them before, she said.
If something happens, China will only support Russia in a “lesser” way, she said.
American officials say they are coordinating with Europe to pressure China on Russia, but the Chinese government is taking its own steps to strengthen ties with Europe. Mr. Xi earlier this month welcoming German Prime Minister Olaf Scholzwho emphasized Germany’s commitment to doing business with China.
Trade conflicts between the countries also continue to smolder as US officials consider adding new tariffs on Chinese imports and restricting further exports of US technology to China because of security concerns. nation.
Economic ties between the countries have long provided strength to the relationship, a point Mr. Blinken reiterated when Meet business leaders in Shanghai on Thursday.
But with the upcoming election in the United States and the possibility of Donald J. Trump returning to the presidency, economic problems could become more explosive.
To try to restart the economy, Mr. Xi and other Chinese leaders are ramping up factory production and exports. But US leaders believe they must protect US manufacturing, especially new factories making semiconductors, solar panels and auto batteries in which the Biden administration is investing tens of billions of dollars. in this year.
Xie Tao, dean of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing University of Foreign Studies, said China knows it has little chance to influence the United States on trade, given the political situation in the country. American country. Instead, the Chinese government appears to be focusing on people-to-people exchanges, Professor Xie said. Chinese media frequently state that Mr. Xi’s goal, announced after a summit near San Francisco last year, is to invite 50,000 young Americans to visit China.
“The Chinese government is actually investing a lot of effort into shaping future generations of Americans about China’s views,” he said.
