Blinken, Qin hold ‘candid’ talks Agree to meet again

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of keeping open lines of communication to reduce the risk of miscalculation in talks with the Chinese foreign minister yesterday, and the two agreed to meet again in Washington.

As the first US secretary of state to visit China in five years, Blinken held "candid, substantive, and constructive talks" with People's Republic of China (PRC) State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, a State Department spokesman said.

Before the talks, US officials saw little chance of any breakthrough on the long list of disputes between the world's two largest economies, which range from trade and US efforts to hold back China's semiconductor industry to the status of self-governed Taiwan and Beijing's human rights record.

"The secretary emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.

"The secretary raised a number of issues of concern, as well as opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational issues with the PRC where our interests align," Miller added in a statement.

He said Blinken invited Qin to visit Washington "to continue the discussions, and they agreed to schedule a reciprocal visit at a mutually suitable time."

Chinese state media reported that Foreign Minister Qin Gang told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that China is committed to building a "stable, predictable, and constructive" relationship with the United States.

Qin also made clear China's concerns on its core interests including the Taiwan issue, describing it as the "most prominent risk" in Sino-US relations, the report said.

Blinken, who postponed a February China trip after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over US airspace, is the highest-ranking US government official to visit since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.

Qin greeted Blinken and his group at the door to a villa in the grounds of Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guest House, rather than inside the building as is customary.

The two made small talk as they walked in, Qin asking Blinken in English about his long trip from Washington. They then shook hands in front of a Chinese and an American flag.

After heading into a meeting room, neither Blinken nor Qin made comments in front of reporters who were briefly allowed in. Their meeting lasted 5-1/2 hours, a State Department spokesperson said, before they moved to a working dinner.

Chinese assistant foreign minister Hua Chunying, who is attending the meeting, tweeted above a picture of Qin and Blinken shaking hands: "Hope this meeting can help steer China-US relations back to what the two Presidents agreed upon in Bali."

Biden and Xi held long-awaited first face-to-face talks on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 big economies in November on the Indonesian island of Bali, engaging in blunt talks over Taiwan and North Korea but also pledging more frequent communication.

During his stay through today, Blinken is also expected to meet with China's top diplomat Wang Yi and possibly President Xi Jinping.