Secretary of State Antony Blinken said his upcoming trip to Beijing is part of the Biden administration’s effort to make sure the rivalry between the US and China doesn’t erupt into open conflict.
“Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict,” Blinken told a briefing alongside Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. He’s set to depart for Beiijng later Friday.
Blinken’s original trip to China was postponed amid tensions over an alleged Chinese spy balloon spotted over US territory in February. He said he’ll meet with senior officials in Beijing as part of efforts to deliver on promises to improve communications after President Joe Biden met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia last November.
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Blinken said he wants to establish “open and empowered” communications to avoid miscalculations, speak candidly on US concerns, and explore areas for potential US-China cooperation on global issues including economic stability and climate change.
This is Blinken’s first trip to China as secretary of state, and he will be the most senior US official to set foot in China in five years. But despite the high-profile nature of the trip, US officials have said they don’t expect a major breakthrough in relations to result from the visit.
“As to what comes next, let’s see how the visit goes,” Blinken said in response to a question about whether he was optimistic his trip could prompt even more interactions, including between the two countries’ militaries. “This is an important, but in a sense, insufficient step. Because there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Speaking alongside Blinken, Balakrishnan said the trip is important because the US and China need to work off the same page on a series of global issues including pandemics and boosting global prosperity. At the same time, the seasoned Singaporean diplomat tried to temper sky-high expectations ahead of Blinken’s departure for Beijing.
“You go with our full support, but having said that, you know, speaking now as a diplomat, I want to make this plea — please don’t put too much weight on poor Tony’s shoulders,” he said, prompting laughter in a room that included diplomats and journalists.
“The trip is essential, but not sufficient,” Balakrishnan continued. “There are fundamental differences in outlook, in values. And it takes time for mutual respect and strategic trust to be built. So it’s important, but I’m also making it clear — I hope people don’t have excessive expectations.”
(Updates with additional details from fifth paragraph)