Blinken calls on Washington and Beijing to manage their differences “responsibly”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Thursday the United States and China à manage their disputes in a "responsible" manner, " the occasion of his second visit to the country in less than a year.

“We have an obligation to our people – and indeed to the world – to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly,” Blinken said in Shanghai.

Arriving in China on Wednesday, the head of American diplomacy began his trip to Shanghai, where he attended a basketball match between two teams with American players in their ranks. He also strolled along the famous Bund promenade along the banks of the Huangpu River.

During this first stop, Mr. Blinken met with the local Party leader Chinese Communist Party (CCP), telling him that American President Joe Biden was committed to establishing a “direct and sustained” dialogue between the two countries.

“I think that “It is important to emphasize the value – even the necessity – of direct engagement, of talking to each other, of exposing our differences, which are real, and of seeking to overcome them,” Mr. Blinken said.< /p>

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) speaks with U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns (C) and U.S. Consul in Shanghai Scott Walker (D) during a basketball game in Shanghai on April 24, 2024 © POOL – Mark Schiefelbein

The secretary of the Shanghai CPC Committee, Chen Jining, for his part insisted on the importance of American companies in the local economy. “Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation, it affects the well-being of the two peoples, the two countries and the future of humanity,” he stressed.

Mr. Blinken then met with students at New York University in Shanghai, where he said he hoped more Americans would study in China, adding that American universities stood ready to welcome Chinese students.

Beijing has, however, repeatedly denounced the harsh interrogations to which some of its nationals, including students, may have been subject upon their arrival on American soil, despite being armed with documents. valid.

“President Biden and President Xi are committed to strengthening our people-to-people ties,” Mr. Blinken said.

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He is due to continue his trip to Beijing on Friday, where he is due to meet with Chinese leaders and is expected to plead for restraint, while a new president will be inaugurated on May 20 in Taiwan.

The archipelago is all the more likely to appear among the delicate issues likely to be raised as the American Congress gave the green light on Tuesday to a military assistance package of 95 billion dollars intended for Washington's allies such as Taipei.

– Ease tensions –

In Beijing, Mr. Blinken should also share the American concerns about China's trade practices, which Washington considers anti-competitive, a key issue for President Joe Biden in this election year.

The head of American diplomacy is also in China to ease tensions between the world's two largest economies, which have eased significantly since his June visit.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and New York University Shanghai Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman speak to students in Shanghai on April 25, 2024 © POOL – Mark Schiefelbein

This was followed by a meeting between Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November which led to a resumption of contacts between the two armies and cooperation in the fight against the manufacture of fentanyl, a drug synthesis wreaking havoc in the United States.

Sino-American relations are at a “different stage from where we were a year ago, when the bilateral relations were at a historic low,” a senior US official stressed before Antony Blinken's visit.

– Pressure against support for Moscow –< /p>

If the Chinese do not directly supply weapons to Russia, Washington has accused them in recent weeks of delivering dual-use equipment and technologies to this country that facilitate its effort rearmament, the most important since the Soviet era.

“If China wants to have friendly relations with Europe and other countries on the one hand, “it cannot fuel on the other hand what is the greatest threat to European security since the end of the Cold War,” Blinken said Friday after a G7 meeting in Italy. 60~/p>

Another source of friction is the law passed by the US Congress on Tuesday requiring that the TikTok application be sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance, under penalty of being excluded from the American market.

In March, China invited Washington to “respect the rules of the market economy” and indicated that it would take “all necessary measures to preserve its legitimate rights and interests”.

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