Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of partnership between the United States and China during a meeting with top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken in Beijing. Xi stated that the two countries should be “partners, not rivals”, but acknowledged that there were still unresolved issues in their relationship.
Xi highlighted the progress made since his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden last year, but also pointed out that there was room for further efforts to improve relations. He proposed three major principles for cooperation: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.
During the meeting, Xi expressed his desire to see a confident and open United States, and hoped for a positive view of China’s development from the U.S. side. However, he also mentioned the need to address disagreements to prevent a downward spiral in the relationship between the two powers.
Blinken, on his second visit to China in less than a year, voiced hope for progress but indicated that he would raise areas of difference, including Russia, Taiwan, and trade. The meeting between the two officials comes amid tensions over issues such as semiconductor exports and the ownership of the video app TikTok.
Despite the challenges, both sides expressed a willingness to work towards stabilizing and improving their relationship. The meeting between Xi and Blinken is seen as a crucial step in managing the complex dynamics between the world’s two largest economies.