Blinken-Qin meet may steer China-US ties back on track

BEIJING: A Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson on Sunday hoped that the meeting between the Chinese foreign minister and his U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken could help steer China-U.S. relations back to what the two Presidents agreed upon in Bali, Indonesia.
“Hope this meeting can help steer China-U.S. relations back to what the two Presidents agreed upon in Bali,” Hua Chunying tweets while commenting on the meeting between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held in Beijing.
As agreed between China and the United States, Blinken is visiting China from June 18 to 19. Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday, starting a two-day visit to China.
It is Blinken’s first visit to China as secretary of state, and he is also the highest-level U.S. official to visit China since October 2018, CGTN reported.
While Blinken is in Beijing, the two sides will raise issues of bilateral concern, discuss global and regional matters, and the Chinese side will also expound on its position and concerns on China-U.S. relations and resolutely safeguard its own interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday.
According to Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Blinken will meet senior officials to discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the relationship, and will also discuss potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges.
Hours before the two sides simultaneously confirmed the visit on Wednesday night, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke with Blinken over the phone.
During their conversation, Qin expressed hope that the U.S. can work with China to effectively manage differences, and promote cooperation, so as to bring the China-U.S. relationship back to track of sound and steady development.
Qin also reiterated China’s position on the Taiwan question, urging the U.S. to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition.