Blinken Trying Again on China

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Beijing later this week in an effort to patch up strained relations between the world’s two largest economies.

The Administration has been stressing the need to keep the lines of communication open even as Washington and Beijing continue to butt heads over issues ranging from China’s support for Russia to US complaints about economic coercion by China.

Bilateral relations hit a freeze after the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon. In the aftermath, Mr. Blinken canceled a planned trip to Beijing.

“While in Beijing, Secretary Blinken will meet with senior PRC officials where he will discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the US-PRC relationship,” according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. “He will also raise bilateral issues of concern, global and regional matters, and potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges.”

In advance of his meeting, Mr. Blinken spoke Tuesday with China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Officials Downplay Trip
Senior State Department officials downplayed the possibility that Mr. Blinken’s visit will produce any deliverables. There are three objectives for the meeting, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dan Kritenbrink told reporters yesterday, – making sure senior-level communications channels are open, speaking out on US values and interest and exploring areas of potential cooperation.

“This is not a visit in which I would anticipate a long list of deliverables coming out of it,” he said. “It’ll be a substantive and productive agenda that we’ll have before us, but again, the objective is to focus on those topline goals, not necessarily to produce a long list of deliverables.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) criticized the Administration for pursuing “fruitless talks” with China.

“The Biden administration is holding back US national security actions to chase fruitless talks with the CCP,” he said in a statement. “While diplomacy is an important tool, it cannot come at the expense of our national security. Secretary Blinken must move forward sanctions and export controls and prioritize the protection of American interests during discussions with CCP officials.”

Separately, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday that while the Administration has many concerns about Chinese actions, “decoupling would be a big mistake.”

“De-risk? Yes. Decouple? Absolutely not,” she stated.