China today warned the US it must choose between “cooperation or conflict” and said there was “no room for compromise” on Taiwan during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on his last day of a trip aimed at it to mend the severely strained relationships.
According to a Foreign Ministry official, Blinken and Wang Yi, China’s top foreign affairs official, spoke for three hours on Monday at the ornate state guest house in the ancient Diaoyutai Gardens.
The meeting comes after Blinken was confirmed to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at 4:30 p.m. local time.
A meeting between Blinken and Xi had been expected, but neither side had confirmed it would only take place an hour before the talks, which are believed to be key to the trip’s success. A snub from the Chinese leader would have been a major setback to efforts to restore and maintain high-level communications.
The encounter with Xi comes on the second, second and final day of Blinken’s crucial meetings with senior Chinese officials. So far, both sides have expressed a willingness to talk but have shown little inclination to buckle from the hardened positions that have been ratcheting up tensions.
“The foreign minister’s trip to Beijing this time comes at a critical time in China-US relations,” Wang told Blinken, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China on Sunday
Pictured: The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon watches the Chinese Navy ship Luyang III (top) during a cross-strait transit with the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Montreal June 3
“It is necessary to make a choice between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation or conflict,” he said.
“We must reverse the downward spiral of Sino-US relations, push for a return to a healthy and stable course, and work together to find a right way for China and the United States to get along,” Wang added.
According to Chinese state media, Wang called on the United States to stop speculating on Chinese threats, abandon its “suppression” of China’s scientific and technological development, and not interfere in its internal affairs.
On the issue of Taiwan, the democratic island Beijing claims, Wang said, “China has no room for compromise or concession,” according to the Chinese statement.
In the past year, angered by the actions of top US lawmakers, China has twice held live military drills near the island.
“The United States must truly adhere to the one-China principle ratified in the three joint US-China communiqués, respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and speak out against ‘Taiwan independence.'”
Before their meeting, Blinken and Wang politely smiled and exchanged pleasantries in front of the cameras.
They then proceeded to meet their staff, who, unlike their managers, wore masks in accordance with Covid-19 protocols.
Tensions between the world’s two largest economies have soared in recent years over issues ranging from trade to technology to Taiwan.
US officials say they didn’t expect any major breakthroughs from Blinken’s talks, but they hope to reopen regular lines of communication to prevent mishaps from escalating into conflict.
Blinken is the highest-ranking American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and his two-day trip comes after his original travel plans to China were postponed in February following the downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the US
Both countries said on Sunday that Qin had accepted an offer to pay a return visit to Washington at a later date.
On Sunday, Blinken met with Foreign Minister Qin Gang for seven and a half hours – longer than expected – and both sides agreed to keep in touch.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks after his arrival in Beijing, China on Sunday
Soldier stands near Hsiung Feng’s mobile rocket launchers at Cape Maobitou Park in Pingtung County, Taiwan, April 10
The talks with Qin were “open, substantive and constructive,” said Matthew Miller, spokesman for the State Department.
Blinken stressed “the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication in all areas to reduce the risk of misperceptions and misperceptions,” Miller added.
Behind closed doors, Qin told Blinken that the United States-China relationship is “at its lowest point since diplomatic relations were established,” according to CCTV.
“This does not meet the fundamental interests of the two peoples, nor the common expectations of the international community,” Qin said during the talks.
A senior US official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the discussions went beyond the usual talking points.
“That was a real conversation,” he said.
At his meetings on Sunday, Blinken also urged the Chinese to release jailed American citizens and take steps to curb the production and export of fentanyl precursors that are fueling the opioid crisis in the United States.
There have been a number of high-profile appointments since Blinken’s trip was canceled in February. CIA chief William Burns traveled to China in May, while China’s trade minister traveled to the United States. And Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Wang Yi in Vienna in May.
The Chinese Navy’s missile frigate Yulin (right) and minesweeper Chibi (right) are seen docked at Changi Naval Base during the IMDEX Asia warship exhibition May 4 in Singapore
Three military boats from Taiwan’s Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit patrol the Matsu Islands on April 9
These were punctuated, however, by outbursts of angry cross-strait rhetoric on both sides, their broader intentions in the Indo-Pacific, China’s refusal to condemn Russia for its war on Ukraine, and US accusations from Washington that Beijing is trying to increase its global surveillance capabilities , also in Cuba.
And earlier this month, China’s defense minister turned down a request from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to meet on the sidelines of a security symposium in Singapore, a sign of ongoing dissatisfaction.
Meanwhile, national security advisers from the United States, Japan and the Philippines held their first joint talks last week and agreed to step up their defense cooperation, also to counter China’s growing influence and ambitions.
This coincides with the signing of an agreement between the Biden government and Australia and Britain to provide nuclear-powered submarines, with China rapidly expanding its diplomatic presence, particularly in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Island nations where it has or has opened plans to open at least five new embassies in the next year.
The deal is part of an 18-month-old nuclear partnership, acronym AUKUS – for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.