American diplomacy chief Antony Blinken will host his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Washington later this week, senior American officials announced on Monday, October 23. This visit, scheduled from Thursday 26th to Saturday 28th, follows numerous contacts established in recent months between the Americans and the Chinese, who are seeking to calm tensions between the both great powers “to deal with responsibly”.
The Sino-Russian rapprochement, the war in Ukraine and, above all, that between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas are likely to dominate discussions at a time when the international community is worried about an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. In this regard, Beijing deeply regretted the United States’ decision to block a UN resolution last week that called for a “humanitarian break” between Hamas and the Jewish state.
For Washington, the meeting with Wang Yi will be an opportunity to encourage China to take a “more constructive approach” in these two conflicts, a senior American official said on condition of anonymity.
“Maintain open communication channels”
There are many points of friction. From Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, to Beijing’s activities in the South China Sea, as shown by the recent incident of a collision between Chinese and Philippine ships, which Washington deeply regretted. China has also moved closer to Vladimir Putin’s Russia and is striving to expand its influence in the world, including in the Middle East.
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This involves “continuing our efforts to maintain open channels of communication” with Beijing and “dealing responsibly with our competition,” another senior American official told reporters in announcing the visit.
No details were given about the exact program of Wang Yi’s visit or whether he would be received by US President Joe Biden. During his visit to Beijing in June, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was received by the Chinese president.
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In any case, the visit could serve to prepare for Chinese President 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, California, in mid-November. Joe Biden has repeatedly expressed his “hope” for a future meeting before the end of the year, while the last face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart dates back to the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022.
Relationships full of tension
Relations between Beijing and Washington have been marked by tensions, for example during the flight of a Chinese balloon over American territory earlier this year. In June, Joe Biden insulted Beijing by claiming that Xi Jinping belonged to the “dictator” category. The United States highlights the strengthening of its alliances in Asia, which Beijing sees as nothing more than a desire to “contain” and “encircle” China.
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In recent months, the United States has hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on a state visit, held a trilateral summit with the Japanese and South Korean leaders at Camp David, Maryland, and strengthened defense alliances with the Philippines and the Pacific Islands. President Biden also made a historic visit to Vietnam and will host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with great fanfare at the White House this Wednesday.
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Joe Biden, who described America as a “beacon” of democratic aspirations in the world, is also demanding an additional $7.4 billion (7 billion euros) from the US Congress to confront China at the military and economic levels.
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