THE US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s maiden visit to China created immense interest in the regional as well as international media which shows strategic importance of this important visit in terms of regional peace, harmony and global stability along with future outcome of the US unilateral sanctions against Chinese businessmen and multinational companies alike. In this regard, various high official meetings were arranged which clearly showed mutual senses of diplomatic sensibility steering the derailed US-China bilateral relations towards greater open communication channels, productivity and joint participation to resolve the issues.
It is good omen that both sides showed the height of mutual respect, decency and determination towards core issues creating hurdles in developing a sustainable mechanism between the two countries. During all the meetings it was convincingly conveyed by the Chinese leadership that the US should not interfere in the core interests and principles of China namely, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and last but not the least technological sanctions.
It seems that the present reconciliation and its success would largely depend upon the US attitude, conduct and policy measures towards China, its core interests and economic relations. The Chinese leadership showed the height of political wisdom, constructive diplomacy, human values and futuristic policies to foster bilateral relations with the US discarding its chronic policies of competition, contradiction, conflict and conspiracy.
The Chinese leadership message during all these meetings vividly reflected its persuasions of peaceful co-existence, cooperation, coordination and collaboration, having firm belief in positive, productive and participatory engagement resolving all issues for the just cause of regional peace and global stability. Chinese urging of socio-economic integration, permanent political consultation and sustainable diplomatic contact remained the height of detailed and comprehensive meetings. It was the victory of Chinese political wisdom and diplomacy that Blinken reaffirmed One China Principle while he was still in Beijing.
Now Blinken has completed his visit to China during which he had high levels of detailed meetings with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Wang Yi the Director Foreign Affairs and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. In this connection, his meetings have been termed candid, constructive and productive even by the US State Department which is sign of some mutual consensus between the two countries.
By sharing a holistic and comprehensive roadmap for the further strengthening of bilateral relationships between two countries the Chinese leadership showed its willingness to cooperate with the US through mutual cooperation, coordination and collaboration in diverse sectors of economy, investment, people-to-people contact, multiculturalism and last but not the least, health and education.
While meeting with Blinken, the Chinese President Xi Jinping rightly called on the US side to adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude to avoid major-country competition and to respect China’s legitimate rights and interests and termed it the way forward. It seems that the meeting between Xi and Blinken was the resultant of mutual consensus between the two countries reflecting political commitment to stabilize the China-US relations, underscoring its sincerity and goodwill and paving the way for the next phase of China-US high-level interaction in coming months.
Xi’s upholding of mutual respect of common interests and respective success should be termed as a golden opportunity. Moreover, discarding China as a potential threat must be diminished for further dialogue, diplomacy and development between the two countries.
Wang Yi’s meeting with Blinken absolutely pinpointed matters of great concern promoting spirits of distrust, disrespect and disorientation which should be revised/corrected as soon as possible. It was masterly disseminated that the US should stop hyping the China threat narrative, lift illegal unilateral sanctions on China, stop pressuring China’s technology and development and stop willfully interfering in China’s internal affairs.
In summary, Blinken’s first visit to Beijing should be termed as a first step toward re-launching a stable and sustainable bilateral relationship between the two countries. The meetings indeed remained focused, constructive and productive because matters of mutual interests pertaining to core issues of China were thoroughly discussed. The message of all meetings was crystal clear that sustainable bilateral ties completely depend on promoting spirit of cooperation not competition, coordination not contradiction, collaboration not conflict between the two countries.
It is suggested that peaceful co-existence, dialogue, diplomacy and development should be the mutual mantra, way forward and spirit of mutual respect and befitting propositions should be jointly and peacefully pursued and the red lines should also be jointly defended. The detailed statement of the Chinese Foreign Ministry also spelled out its leadership’s constant and continued commitment to resolving issues with the US through greater openness, modernization and equality which is indeed the way forward.
Removing the US unilateral socio-economic sanctions against the Chinese companies, lessening of unjust trade war and stopping of false and fake propaganda against China would determine the success, scope, utility and strategic orientation of the Blinken’s visit to Beijing.
The US Theories of Military Complex and China Containment, increasingly military partnerships in the region, chronic Cold War mentality, obsession of bloc formation and last but not the least, frequent infiltration would be the main constraints in the days to come. Let us hope that sanity will prevail and hawks sitting in the Biden Administration and military establishment behave properly and purposefully move forward to grand reconciliation and re-launching of bilateral relations with China.
—The writer is Executive Director, Centre for South Asia & International Studies, Islamabad, regional expert China, BRI & CPEC & senior analyst, world affairs, Pakistan Observer.
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