Blinken meets with Xi Jinping in bid to ease China tensions
NBCJul 03, 2023
The Facts
In a highly-publicized trip to Beijing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began two days of talks with senior Chinese officials on Sunday. The dialogue comes during a time of soaring geopolitical tensions.
Blinken became the Biden admin.’s highest-ranking official to visit the PRC. He will also visit London during the same trip.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
Blinken's visit to Beijing is welcomed by both the US and China, as the risk of open conflict in the South China Sea between Chinese and US military forces is something nobody wants. However, at the end of the day, Beijing has more to lose than Washington from a breakdown in bilateral relations. It may be possible to contain PRC aggression through increased sanctions and dialogue — cooling tensions is in order.
Pro-China narrative
Blinken's visit to Beijing is a much-welcome sign of increased communication between the PRC and the US amid all-time low relations. While many observers do not expect a breakthrough in the relationship, both sides are committed to continuing to meet and talk. Beijing wants to build a stable, predictable, and constructive relationship with the US and expects Washington will uphold an objective and rational understanding of Beijing, rather than a hegemonic approach.
