Antony Blinken arrives in Beijing, becomes first US Secretary of State to visit China in 5 years

Beijing: Antony Blinken arrived in China on Sunday (local time) and became the first US secretary of state in five years to visit Beijing, The Washington Post reported. On a two-day visit to China, Blinken is expected to hold a high-level meeting aimed at stabilizing ties under historical strain. His hosts previewed the tense visit with several rebukes from the United States, accusing Washington of engaging in “irresponsible bullying” and living under the “delusion” that it could deal with China from a “position of strength”. Were.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned during a telephone conversation with Blinken that they should “show respect” for Beijing’s position on Taiwan and made it clear that the US should not interfere in China’s internal affairs. should be shut down, The Washington Post reported. Even after this, Blinken expressed hope to maintain open channels of communication as well as on bilateral and global issues.

Last month, President Joe Biden predicted that China’s anger would cool after the US shot down its high-altitude surveillance balloon in February. The White House has indicated that Blinken’s visit could open a series of meetings between US and Chinese officials, including leader-to-leader talks with President Xi Jinping.

Biden told reporters before leaving for Philadelphia, “I look forward to meeting again with Xi over the next several months and talking about our legitimate differences, but also how … Must come.”

According to The Washington Post, Blinken arrived early in the morning with a full agenda: meetings with the gang, top Communist Party foreign policy official Wang Yi, US business leaders, US embassy staff, exchange students and potentially She herself from the form.

According to the State Department statement, Secretary Blinken will meet with senior PRC officials, where they will discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in order to responsibly manage US-PRC relations. They will also take up possible cooperation on bilateral issues of concern, global and regional affairs and common international challenges.

It is pertinent to mention that earlier, he was supposed to visit China in February 2023, but it was postponed after a suspected Chinese spy balloon overshot the United States, provoking the Biden administration.