Washington, United States: The top diplomat of China landed in the United States to meet the high-level officials of the nation, possibly including President Joe Biden. It has been anticipated that this meeting with be a catalyst in the efforts of the authorities to strengthen the ties.
After reaching the United States, on Thursday afternoon, the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi participated in an interactive session with the US State Secretary Antony Blinken. This three-day trip has quickly raised hopes that the tie between two largest economies of the world can be steadily formed.
Wang Yi then attended the presented that the Chinese authorities hope that it would seek cooperation and consensus to “push the relationship as soon as possible back to the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development.” Following this, Yi participated in a closed-door meeting.
Prior to the meet, US officials mentioned that they would talk to Wang about China playing a bigger part in global affairs if it wants to be seen as a responsible and important international player.
In this regard, the State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was quoted saying, “China should use whatever ability it has as an influential power to urge calm in Middle East region,” according to AP.
“We know China has relationships with a number of countries in the region, and we would urge them to use those relationships, the lines of communication they have, to urge calm and stability,” he added.
US’s disappointments with China
Several reports have revealed that the United States is disappointed from China for supporting Russia (during Ukraine-Russia war) and choosing silence during Israel-Ukraine war.
The American officials have also pointed out that they believe that China is somewhere biased towards Iran – major backer of Hamas.
While briefing the meeting between Blinken and Wang Yi, a readout by the White House underscored that two men addressed the areas of difference as well as cooperation. It further outlined that Blinken “reiterated that the United States will continue to stand up for our interests and values and those of our allies and partners,” according to AP.
According to various reports, Wang Yi will meet Blinken, again, along with the national security advisor Jake Sullivan. There are expectations that both the leaders will ask China to play constructive role in both Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars, according to AP.
However, none of the reports have confirmed the meet between Wang Yi and Biden.
The practice of reciprocity in diplomacy makes it seem probable, especially since Blinken met with Xi during his visit to China in June. Both sides haven’t officially said whether Biden and Xi will meet next month during an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders gathering in San Francisco.
However, Wang’s trip suggests that it’s very likely to happen, according to Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies, who specializes in Chinese business and economics. Kennedy stated, “His visit is most likely about nailing down the agenda and negotiating potential deliverables.”
The last visit by Chinese president to the US
The Chinese President Xi Jinping last came to the United States in the year 2017, when then President Donald Trump hosted him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Biden has not hosted Xi on the US soil, the two ministers met each other in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022 during the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
When the relationship between US-China disrupted
The relation between United States and China began to sour after hefty tariffs were slapped by the Trump administration on the Chinese goods worth US$50 billion. Following this, series of issues, such as rights abuses, the South China Sea, Taiwan, technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, made it more worse.