Antony Blinken holds 'constructive' talks in China, but tensions remain high

Antony Blinken is the first US secretary of state to travel to China in five years and meets President Xi Jinping, ITV News Correspondent Debi Edward reports

US secretary of state Antony Blinken held constructive talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing today, but major differences between the two powers remain over a number of issues.

He is the first secretary of state to travel to China in five years and the most senior US official to make such a mission since President Joe Biden took office in early 2021.

Officials from both countries signalled low expectations for the trip, meant to steer relations between the United States and China back on course after months of tensions.

During a meeting lasting nearly six hours, Mr Blinken managed to secure a visit to Washington by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

China confirmed that Qin had accepted the invitation at a “mutually convenient time” but no date was set.

The State Department said that Blinken had stressed “the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation”. China's foreign ministry, meanwhile, said the current state of relations "does not serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples or meet the shared expectations of the international community.”

Mr Blinken, who will have more meetings on Monday, including potentially with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, described Sunday's talks as "candid, substantive and constructive".

Despite this, the prospects for any significant breakthrough on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies remains slim.

A senior state department official told reporters earlier this week that he does not expect "a long list of deliverables".

Mr Blinken’s trip followed his postponement of plans to visit China in February after the shootdown of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the US. The talks could pave the way for a meeting in the coming months between Mr Biden and Mr Xi to tackle the plethora of differences that divide them.

That long list includes disagreements ranging from trade to Taiwan, human rights conditions in China and Hong Kong to Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea and Russia’s war in Ukraine. In his meetings on Sunday, Blinken also pressed the Chinese to release detained American citizens and to take steps to curb the production and export of fentanyl precursors that are fuelling the opioid crisis in the United States.

Blinken “made clear that the United States will always stand up for the interests and values of the American people and work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the international rules-based order,” the State Department said.

The Chinese foreign ministry countered in its statement that “China hopes that the US will adopt an objective and rational perception of China, work with China in the same direction, uphold the political foundation of China-US relations, and handle unexpected and sporadic events in a calm, professional and rational manner.” Mr Xi offered a hint of a possible willingness to reduce tensions, saying in a meeting with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Friday that the United States and China can cooperate to “benefit our two countries".

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...

However, signs of progress have been punctuated by bursts of angry rhetoric from both sides over the Taiwan Strait, their broader intentions in the Indo-Pacific, China’s refusal to condemn Russia for its war against Ukraine, and US allegations that Beijing is attempting to boost its worldwide surveillance capabilities, including in Cuba.

Underscoring the difficulties, China rejected a report by a US security firm, that blamed Chinese-linked hackers for attacks on hundreds of public agencies, schools and other targets around the world, as “far-fetched and unprofessional”. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson repeated accusations that Washington carries out hacking attacks and complained the cybersecurity industry rarely reports on them. Meanwhile, the national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines held their first joint talks on Friday and agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation, in part to counter China's growing influence and ambitions.

The Partygate: The Inside Story podcast brings you fresh revelations and our whistleblowers in their own words in the definitive behind-closed-doors story of how ITV News uncovered one of the biggest scandals of our era...