The US and China, between stability and confrontation: “The world is big enough for the development of both countries” | EUROtoday

Amid a lot international turbulence, it’s a respite for the world to see that the 2 primary superpowers, the United States and China, regardless of all their open fronts, have resumed fluid communication that had been damaged for a very long time.

Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco late final yr and spoke by telephone simply three weeks in the past. Another instance of the cooling of the brand new Cold War that Washington and Beijing tried to ignite is that the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has traveled to China twice within the final 10 months.

Blinken, after a primary cease with an financial agenda in cosmopolitan Shanghai, landed on Friday within the sober political heart of the Asian big, in Beijing, the place he met within the afternoon with President Xi Jinping, who was stunned by the conciliatory tone he used to the obtain your visitor.

“China and the United States should be partners and not adversaries; help yourself succeed, instead of hurt yourself; seek common ground and reserve differences, not engage in ruthless competition; “communicate with sincerity and act with integrity, not say one factor and do the alternative,” Xi said, according to Beijing's reading of the meeting, as soon as he received Blinken.

“China desires to see a protected, open and affluent United States. We hope that the United States will see China's improvement from a constructive perspective. The world is large enough for the event and prosperity of each nations,” he stressed.

Before meeting the Chinese leader, Blinken was received by the influential Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi. This was really the important meeting of the day because, beyond a handshake in front of the cameras and a few brief words of courtesy, Wang and Blinken spent almost five hours discussing all the issues behind closed doors at the State Guest House. Diaoyutai, the residence where Chinese leaders usually receive their most illustrious visitors.

Wang, according to Chinese state media, told Blinken that the “huge ship” of the relationship between the two countries had stabilized, but that “destructive elements” continued to increase and that the relationship faced “every kind of disruptions.” . In addition, the head of diplomacy of the Asian country warned his American counterpart that the United States should not cross China's “crimson traces”.

After this statement, Wang raised a question about the future of bilateral relations: “Should China and the United States proceed in the precise path of advancing stability or return to a downward spiral? This query exams our sincerity and talent.”

The American, who was more measured in his comments in front of the press, assured that he is in favor of continuing with the current “lively diplomacy” and of being “as clear as potential in regards to the areas during which there are variations, at the very least to keep away from misunderstandings.” and calculation errors.

Military aid to Taiwan

Blinken's trip to China, as usually happens every time an important representative from Washington or Beijing prepares to visit the rival's territory, became heated on both sides. A few hours before Blinken landed in Shanghai on Wednesday, the US Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

In Taipei they celebrated and said that their army will discuss with the United States how to use these funds after months of delays in deliveries of American weapons. In Beijing, it was not so funny that part of that aid package was going to end up in the hands of the island that resists becoming just another province of China.

Just before Blinken's arrival, the Chinese army wanted to show off its muscle by publishing a video on its Weibo channel, the Chinese version of nuclear during fleet exercises on the aircraft carrier Shandong.

In Beijing they have been complaining these days about Washington's “cussed strain” to contain China and repress its economy, referring to the continued amplification of export controls on critical technologies and sanctions on Chinese companies that are prohibited from operating in USA.

In the Asian giant, they also accuse the Biden administration of strengthening its regional security network, strengthening its alliances with neighboring countries such as Japan or the Philippines, with the purpose of deterring and potentially counteracting Chinese military activities.

“China's professional proper to improvement is being unjustifiably suppressed and China's core pursuits are consistently questioned,” Wang said Friday as he received Blinken, reflecting Chinese concerns about US controls on advanced technology exports and military support. to Taiwan.

Another point of friction that was brought up on the table in Blinken's meetings with Xi and Wang was the US complaint that China is militarily helping Putin's regime. Blinken himself has accused Xi Jinping's government of being the “primary overseas contributor” to the Moscow defense base, citing intelligence reports that China would be supplying Putin's regime with key technologies to boost the weapons it uses in the invasion of Ukraine.

Despite all the problems and the aggressive narrative that Chinese and American officials routinely employ, the truth is that cooperation between the two countries has advanced, especially in the fight against fentanyl. Last November, during their meeting in San Francisco, Biden managed to extract from Xi the commitment that China will harshly pursue Chinese companies that export the chemical precursors necessary to manufacture the powerful synthetic opioid that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States. Joined.

Analysts who follow the frequent storms between the United States and China agree that both powers are making efforts to keep their lines of communication open, but it is still unlikely that either side will give in to the many battles they maintain. It is even expected that, as the US elections approach, President Biden will toughen his speech against Beijing.