Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in China on Wednesday to try to maintain stability in the recently delicate U.S.-China relationship as tensions over trade, territorial disputes and national security threaten to once again undermine ties.
Even as Blinken’s plane approached Shanghai, the challenges ahead became apparent.He was scheduled to arrive hours after the U.S. Senate session ended passed a billPresident Biden is expected to soon sign into law $8 billion for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region, which could also lead to Nationwide ban on Chinese app TikTok.
The U.S. political season is about to get more complicated, too. As the presidential election approaches, both Democrats and Republicans are competing to appear tougher on China. If former President Donald Trump is reelected, he could reverse efforts by Beijing and Washington to stabilize relations between the two countries.
Blinken’s three-day trip also includes a visit to Beijing, where he plans to press Chinese officials on a wide range of issues, including China’s support for Russia, cheap Chinese exports that U.S. officials say threaten U.S. jobs and China’s export problems . A senior State Department official told reporters in a telephone briefing that the ships were conducting aggressive maneuvers in the South China Sea.
Chinese officials are likely to raise U.S. support for China’s claim to the self-ruled island of Taiwan and trade restrictions that Beijing calls discriminatory.
Mr Blinken is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.It is unclear whether he will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as he did during his last visitin June.
This visit is the first visit to China by a US Secretary of State since 2018, and comes at the worst moment in US-China relations in recent years. High-level military communications were cut off, and neighbors feared the two countries could plunge into war.
Relations have softened since then. China’s economy is slowing and Beijing has adopted a softer diplomatic tone to attract more foreign investment. While Washington continues to warn that China poses a global security threat, it has said it wants to keep communications open.
November, Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi Jinping meet Four hours near San Francisco. China subsequently agreed to resume cooperation with the United States in combating global fentanyl production, and both countries confirmed the importance of resuming cultural exchanges. The leaders of the two countries also spoke by phone this month.
Last week, senior defense officials from both countries Hold a video conference and have the first substantive contact Since the end of 2022.
But new tensions are growing. Western officials are increasingly concerned about China’s support for Russia in the war in Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned during a visit to China earlier this month: “major consequences” if Beijing provides material support. China insists that is not the case while deepening ties with Moscow. Mr Xi Reception of Russian Foreign Minister This month, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit China soon.
U.S. officials also say China is dumping cheap electric vehicles and solar panels into overseas markets, hurting U.S. companies. China denies these protectionist accusations.
Chinese ship aggressive behavior The clashes in disputed waters with the Philippines and Japan have also raised concerns about a possible conflict that could draw intervention from the United States, those countries’ treaty ally.
Taiwan is perhaps the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations, and Taiwan will open up its foreign policy. new presidentThe next month, Lai Ching-te – whom Beijing denounced as an advocate of Taiwan independence – was introduced.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun reportedly told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a phone call that China “will not compromise” on the Taiwan issue. Chinese reading.
Domestically, anti-China rhetoric is likely to intensify as Democrats and Republicans compete against each other on one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement.Mr. Biden campaigned last week in the steel-making powerhouse of Pennsylvania Call for higher tariffs Regarding steel imports from China.
“We had high hopes after the San Francisco summit, but recent developments have put a lot of pressure on the relationship between the two countries,” said Xie Tao, dean of the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University. “When you add all these negative developments to Together, you will see that the current situation in China-US relations is quite depressing.”
Both countries have reason to work to prevent tensions from escalating. The United States has asked China to help prevent Iran, which has good relations with the United States, from pushing hostilities with Israel into all-out war.China is eager to avoid further U.S. tariffs as Strong exports help its balance Housing crisis and weak consumer spending.
But as public opinion on both sides tends to harden, the two countries may have little room for diplomatic maneuver.
“There’s already a lot of irritation and mistrust in the relationship,” said Alan Carlson, a professor of international relations at Cornell University.
“If your pot is already close to boiling, just adding a degree or two will push things over the edge.”
