Amid escalating political and economic disputes between the two countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, seeking to address issues face-to-face, as he reiterated throughout his visit to Beijing. The Chinese president told his American guest that Beijing and Washington should be partners, not competitors, while noting that many problems still persist between the two nations.
This meeting came after Blinken held discussions lasting over five and a half hours earlier in the day with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, which he described as "profound and constructive." The meeting was underscored by strong, albeit subdued, Chinese warnings, with the Chinese Foreign Minister telling his U.S. counterpart that the United States is holding back China's development.
He added at the beginning of their opening session that "the giant ship of Chinese-U.S. relations has stabilized," but negative factors in the relationship continue to increase and accumulate. He considered that Washington has obstructed China's legitimate rights to development in an unacceptable manner.
Meanwhile, Blinken, known for his generally calm demeanor, reiterated the call for what he describes as direct diplomacy—face-to-face communication between leaders and officials of nations.
Discussions between the two countries have expanded in recent months, even as their disagreements have become more serious, raising concerns about the potential for conflict between the world's largest economies. Numerous issues are straining the relationship between these two economic powers worldwide, chief among them the highly sensitive Taiwan issue for Chinese authorities, as well as relations with Russia and Iran, accusations of espionage, economic competition, human rights issues, and recently, the TikTok file, among other matters complicating interactions between the two sides.
