US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday on the United States and China to manage their differences “responsibly” as he landed in Beijing for tough talks with the rival power’s leaders.Blinken, the first US secretary of state to visit Shanghai in 14 years, opened his visit Wednesday evening at a restaurant serving steamed buns before going to watch a basketball match between the Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
Such softer diplomacy, once a staple of US-China relations, would have been unimaginable until recently, with hawks in both countries speaking of an emerging new Cold War.
Blinken’s aides hope his smiling persona at public events draws an implicit contrast to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov’s gruffer approach when he visited China this month.
The next leg of Blinken’s trip is set to be far less relaxing when he meets top cadres in Beijing.
China has not announced plans for Blinken to meet Xi, although a meeting was announced at the last minute during his previous visit in June.
Among the many sticky issues Blinken is expected to raise in Beijing are concerns about China’s relationship with Russia.
Although US officials were initially pleased that Beijing has not shipped weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, they now say that China’s alarm at Moscow’s setbacks on the battlefield has prompted it to export vast quantities of industrial supplies to Russia.
US officials believe China is more receptive to Western concerns as it seeks to focus on managing economic headwinds at home and wants to avoid friction with the West.
But China is also furious about a series of moves by Biden — who is facing a tough re-election fight in November against Donald Trump — they say serve to constrain the Chinese economy.
Most recently, the US Congress approved legislation that would force the divestment of TikTok from its Chinese owners or face a ban in the world’s largest economy.
Biden supports the legislation, arguing that TikTok, popular among young people, poses security and privacy concerns. China has accused the United States of unfair economic coercion.
Unusually, Trump has distanced himself from a TikTok ban. He has otherwise championed a tough line on China, with vows to raise tariffs drastically if he returns to office.
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