China warned on Friday à Beijing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that multiple pressures from the United States could lead to a "deterioration& ;quot; bilateral relations. The latter, who has been making his second visit to China in less than a year since Wednesday, was concerned about the Asian giant's support for Moscow. A sign, however, of the importance given to bilateral relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping received Antony Blinken on Friday afternoon, the official Xinhua news agency said, without immediately providing details. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (l) and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, April 26, 2024 © POOL – Mark Schiefelbein The Secretary of State said he had “in-depth and constructive” conversations for more than five and a half hours with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. A US official said Antony Blinken discussed points of difference, including on Russia, Taiwan and trade. For its part, Beijing criticizes Washington for its pressure, in particular American restrictions on exports to China of advanced technologies, including semiconductors. Another subject of friction : the social network TikTok is threatened with ban in the United States if it does not cut its ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance. American Secretary of State Antony Blinken (l and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, April 26, 2024 in Beijing © POOL – Mark Schiefelbein Washington says it suspects the application is used to spy on Americans, collect personal information and also serve Chinese propaganda. TikTok categorically denies these allegations. Despite these tensions, relations between the two powers “are starting to stabilize”, said Wang Yi on Friday, warning however against the persistence of “negative elements”. – “Calculation errors” – “The legitimate rights of “China's development policies have been unduly oppressed and our core interests are being challenged,” Wang said, referring to US restrictions in the technology sector. Another subject of friction: the social network TikTok is threatened with ban in the United States if it does not cut its ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance © AFP – Lionel BONAVENTURE “Should China and the United States continue to move in the right direction, that of stability, or return to that of deterioration?”, he pretended to wonder. Beyond the speeches, senior American officials believe that Xi Jinping's priority is however to revive the Chinese economy and thus avoid excessive tensions with the States -United. Antony Blinken raised concerns with Wang Yi about China's alleged support “for Russia's defense industrial base,” door said – spokesperson for the US State Department, Matthew Miller. If the Chinese do not directly supply weapons to Russia, Washington accuses them of delivering equipment and dual-use technologies to this country which facilitate its rearmament effort, the most important since the Soviet era. At the start of discussions with his counterpart, Mr. Blinken told him he hoped for “progress on the issues that our presidents agreed on” during their summit in California in November. The two countries must be as “clear as possible in the areas in which we have differences, at least to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations”, declared the American secretary of state. – Taiwan and Iran – Arriving in China on Wednesday, the head of American diplomacy made a first stop at Shanghai and landed late Thursday afternoon in Beijing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (l) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (r) during a meeting in Beijing, April 26, 2024 © POOL – Mark Schiefelbein Mr. Blinken's trip, which ends this Friday, is a sign of a decline in friction between China and the United States, exacerbated under former President Donald Trump, who promised again a hard line against Beijing if he wins the November presidential election. President Joe Biden, while seeking greater stability between the two most major economies of the world, however, maintains the pressure. According to American officials, Antony Blinken also sought to appease China on Taiwan before the inauguration on May 20, of a new president on the island claimed by Beijing. This visit by the Secretary of State comes as the American Congress gave the green light on Tuesday to an envelope military assistance of $95 billion to Washington's allies such as Taipei. On the Middle East, Antony Blinken also asked China to 'use its influence over Iran to encourage restraint with Israel. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116