Xi Jinping Blinken Meeting: U.S. Navigates Tensions, Concerns Over China’s Russia Support

Xi Jinping Blinken Meeting

Xi Jinping Blinken meeting reiterates the importance of US-China “responsibly managing differences.”

WASHINGTON — During a meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping raised concerns about China’s alleged support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both sides emphasized the importance of communication and cooperation while acknowledging their differences on various issues, such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, and human rights.

Despite the ongoing challenges, the dialogue between the two countries has become more intensive, with a focus on managing differences responsibly to avoid miscommunication and misunderstanding. Blinken’s visit also included discussions on military interactions, drug control, and artificial intelligence, as well as promoting a level playing field for U.S. companies operating in China.

Key Concepts

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
• Discussions included military interactions, drug control, and artificial intelligence.
• Blinken emphasized the importance of managing differences to avoid miscommunication.
• Concerns were raised about China’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Both sides stressed the importance of cooperation and non-alignment.
• The focus was on promoting a level playing field for US companies in China.
• Differences remain on issues like overcapacity and cheap goods exports.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping before concluding his visit to China on Friday (April 26). He expressed his views on the recent high-level exchanges between the United States and China, the interaction between the two militaries, drug control, and artificial intelligence, and the progress made in areas such as people-to-people and cultural exchanges, but also emphasized the importance of “responsibly managing differences” between the United States and China.

“We are committed to maintaining and strengthening channels of communication to advance these agendas and to handle our differences responsibly so that we can avoid any miscommunication, any misunderstanding, or any miscalculation,” Blinken was quoted as saying by the media.

The media pointed out in the report that the differences between the United States and China seem to be getting wider in recent months, but the dialogue between the two countries has also become more intensive.

Expresses concern over China’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

During his meeting with Xi Jinping, Blinken specifically expressed concern about China’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also expressed concerns to Xi about a range of other issues, including Taiwan, the South China Sea, human rights, and the manufacturing and export of man-made opioid precursors.

Blinken specifically made it clear to Xi Jinping that there are serious concerns that Beijing is providing Russia with supplies, including machine tools and microelectronics, to assist Russian President Vladimir Putin in increasing its military power and intensifying the Russian military’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to reports from China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Xi Jinping told Blinken during the meeting that China and the United States “should be partners, not opponents; they should achieve each other’s achievements, not hurt each other; they should seek common ground while reserving differences, instead of vicious competition.”

“China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous, and developing United States and hopes that the United States will also take a positive view of China’s development,” Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi Jinping as saying.

Xinhua News Agency quoted Xi Jinping as saying that China is willing to cooperate with the United States, “but cooperation should be two-way.”China is not afraid of competition, “but competition should be about common progress, not a zero-sum game.”

“China insists on non-alignment, and the United States should not engage in ‘small circles’. Both sides can have their own friends and partners, and do not target each other, do not oppose each other, and do not harm each other,” Xi Jinping said.

Xinhua News Agency also reported some of Blinken’s remarks during the meeting, such as “the United States adheres to the one-China policy and hopes to maintain communication with China.”

“The United States does not seek a new Cold War, does not seek to change China’s system, does not seek to contain China’s development, does not seek to oppose China through alliances, and has no intention of conflict with China,” Xinhua News Agency quoted Blinken as saying.

Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday for his second trip to China during his term in office. He met in Shanghai with Chen Jining, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and stressed the importance of a level playing field for U.S. companies operating in China. Blinken also held discussions with American business leaders in China and visited the Shanghai campus of New York University.

After arriving in Beijing, Blinken met with senior officials, including members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The media pointed out in the report that Blinken is about to end his visit to China, but the serious differences between the United States and China on a series of important issues show no signs of being eased or resolved, including how China solves overcapacity and avoids overcapacity. It is difficult to reach a consensus on issues such as the export of cheap goods.

The report believes that it may be easier for both sides to make progress only on pragmatic and specific issues such as people-to-people and cultural exchanges.