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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with China’s foreign minister Qin Gang and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Jun. 18 and 19 respectively, in a delayed but highly- anticipated trip.

Blinken is in Beijing for two days to engage in dialogue amidst rising U.S.-China tensions, after his planned trip in February 2023 was cancelled due to controversy over the downing of an alleged spy balloon.

He is in China for the first time since U.S. President Joe Biden took office, and is the first top U.S. diplomat to visit the country in five years, Nikkei Asia reported.

Qin: US-China relations at lowest point

On Sunday (Jun. 18), Qin and Blinken had “candid, substantive, and constructive talks,” according to a readout by the U.S. state department.

The talks happened over the course of approximately seven and a half hours, according to Reuters.

Blinken highlighted that it was imperative to maintain open channels of communication to "reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation" and raised several issues of concern.

He noted that the U.S. would always stand up for its people’s interests and uphold a rules-based international order.

Today, I met with People’s Republic of China State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing and discussed how we can responsibly manage the relationship between our two countries through open channels of communication. pic.twitter.com/dPkd0aWQ5J

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 18, 2023

Qin acknowledged that U.S-China relations were at the “lowest point since its establishment” and that this was unfavourable to both sides, according to a readout of the meeting by Chinese state media Xinhua News.

The Chinese foreign minister underscored the importance of the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, which had been reiterated by China’s President Xi Jinping and other senior Chinese officials.

He noted China’s commitment to building stable, predictable and constructive ties with China and continued to reiterate the country’s position on Taiwan.

Both sides agreed to follow up from the November 2022 meeting between Xi and Biden which occurred ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali.

Qin and Blinken also committed to continuing high-level interactions, consultations and more people-to-people exchanges, Xinhua reported.

Wang: US has wrong perception of China

Blinken met with Wang on Monday (Jun. 19) for over three hours, during which they had a wide-ranging discussion on bilateral and global issues, Reuters reported.

He also hoped to boost communication with China, responsibly handle their differences, working together in areas of shared interest, according to CGTN, the English-language arm of China's state broadcaster CCTV.

Continuing important face to face diplomacy in Beijing, I met today with Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi for discussions on a range of bilateral and global issues that affect people at home and around the world. pic.twitter.com/yXYcfU0Go1

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) June 19, 2023

Wang, China’s top foreign affairs advisor, said that Blinken’s trip came at a “critical point” in U.S-China relations and called for a reversal of their ties’ downward spiral.

He noted that the U.S.'s wrong perception of China was the “root cause” of rising tensions, and urged for the immediate implementation of the consensus made between Xi and Biden, CGTN reported,

Wang remarked that China was not seeking to be a hegemon and hoped that U.S. policy towards China can “return to objectivity and rationality”.

In addition, he expressed that the U.S. should stop framing China as a threat and taking action against it, while warning that there will be no compromise or concession over the question of Taiwan.

Diplomatic backdrop

Wang and Blinken previously met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in February 2023, shortly after the balloon saga.

Blinken then met with Xi after his talks with Wang, becoming the first U.S. Secretary of State to meet the Chinese president since 2018, according to Reuters, partially due to China's strict Covid-era restrictions, but also due to the other tensions.

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Top images via Twitter/@SecBlinken