US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said that his visit to China today aims to open up better communications “by addressing misperceptions and avoiding miscalculations,” as US lawmakers urged him to also visit Taiwan.
“Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict,” Blinken said. “That is what the world expects of both the United States and China.”
Blinken is today and tomorrow to hold talks in Beijing on the first trip by a top US diplomat in nearly five years.
Photo: AFP
The trip was rescheduled after the US canceled a planned Beijing visit by Blinken in February after Washington said it detected — and later shot down — a Chinese spy balloon.
The first goal of the trip to China is “to establish open and empowered communications, so that our two countries responsibly manage our relationship,” Blinken told a news conference.
He said the aim was also to set the record clear on US interests and values, and to explore areas of possible cooperation, including on global economic stability, fighting drug trafficking, and climate and health issues.
He added he would also raise the issue of US citizens detained by China.
Blinken was speaking in a joint news conference with visiting Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.
Balakrishnan said the Asian region had its eye on US-China relations, calling it “the challenge of the century.”
“This is a very important and critical moment, not just for the United States and China,” he said.
“The rest of the world will be watching. So we hope and believe that you will be able to manage the differences,” he said.
On Thursday, a group of US representatives called on Blinken to stop over in Taiwan during his China trip.
In a letter, the lawmakers said that the visit would be consistent with the original intent of the Taiwan Travel Act, which “encourages high-ranking US executive branch officials to visit Taiwan and meet with their counterparts.”
Such a visit would also enable Blinken to address concerns regarding delays in the delivery of US weapons systems to Taiwan.
“Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it would send a clear message that the United States does not need a permission slip from the Chinese Communist Party to meet with our friends and allies in Taiwan — or anywhere else,” the letter said.
The letter was signed by US representatives Tom Tiffany, Scott Perry, Nancy Mace, Byron Donalds, Dan Crenshaw, Andy Ogles and Earl Carter.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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