AS was widely anticipated, there was no breakthrough in relations as a result of lengthy and comprehensive talks that the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang during his rare visit to Beijing but they agreed to expand dialogue to try to bring relations back from historic lows. The two sides said Foreign Minister Qin Gang agreed to pay a return visit to Washington at a later date and that the two top diplomats would work together to expand flights between the world’s two largest economies, which remain at a bare minimum since the Covid-19 pandemic.
This was the first ever high ranking visit to Beijing in nearly five years and the interaction enabled the two most powerful countries of the globe to emphasize the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation. There has been little or no progress on key issues that cause strains in their relations but the very fact that they committed themselves to continued dialogue opens prospects for some improvement in bilateral ties. Relations between the two countries remained strained throughout the tenure of former President Donald Trump but expectations that these would move in a positive direction in a meaningful way after assumption of power by his successor Joe Biden have, unfortunately, not materialized. China has some core concerns, such as the Taiwan issue, stressing that the US should respect them, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition. Ties between Beijing and Washington have soured in recent years, over numerous issues including trade rules, the status of Taiwan, the South China Sea and an ongoing US push against growing Chinese influence in the Asia Pacific. It is fully known to the keen observers of China-US relations that China always tried to avoid tension and instead wanted focus on engagement and cooperation but there was hardly any reciprocity as Washington persisted with its questionable strategy of ‘containing and encircling’ China which is once again distinctively visible in latest diplomatic moves, alliances and regional realignments. It is also in line with this policy that the United States and its allies are arming India to teeth despite its abysmal record on human rights, expansionism and aggressive designs against its small neighbours. It is time the West should realize the ground reality of ‘rising China’ both in military and economic fields and instead of confrontation should adopt a cooperative approach that would not only benefit them but the entire world.
