BEIJING (Reuters) – Meetings between U.S. and Chinese officials in China this week struck an optimistic note, with both sides agreeing to maintain communication channels to avoid further “provocative” U.S moves by Beijing.
Statements from Washington and Beijing were positive regarding the talks between Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Curtin Brink and Chinese officials, including Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, describing the talks as “clear and productive”.
Ahead of Curtinbrink’s arrival in Beijing on Sunday, the US Navy reported an “unsafe interaction” on Saturday, when a Chinese warship crossed paths with a US destroyer in the sensitive Taiwan Strait. The incident raised concerns about possible future clashes that could spiral out of control.
Curtinbrink’s visit comes after China rejected a formal meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart last week.
“The two sides held frank, constructive and fruitful discussions to promote the improvement of China-US relations and properly manage and control differences,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement citing Curtin Brink’s meetings on Tuesday.”
According to the statement, both parties also agreed to continue communication.
“The two sides had frank and productive discussions as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and build on recent high-level diplomacy between the two countries,” the US State Department said late Monday.
The Biden administration has emphasized the need to expand ties with China as relations between the world’s two largest economies have soured over a variety of issues, including Taiwan and military activity in the South China Sea.
However, critics have questioned the U.S. approach to China, saying decades of engagement have failed to change Beijing’s attitude.
Recent talks between China and the US show that both sides are trying to manage the conflict. Even so, if Washington does not curb its provocations and show sincerity in improving relations, the risk of clashes could increase, according to the state-backed Chinese newspaper Global Times, known for its nationalist stance.
China-US relations have entered a “more complicated” stage. The Global Times wrote that while China is open to strengthening ties and possible cooperation, it will also respond strongly to US provocations.
“We are working hard to manage the relationship in the best possible way,” Kirtonbrink said during a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday when asked about the current state of bilateral relations.
Already strained relations took a nosedive in February when Secretary of State Anthony Blanken canceled a visit to China following an incident in which Washington deemed a Chinese spy balloon to be in US airspace.
When asked about Blankenship’s possible visit to China in the near future, Curtin Brink replied,
“We’ll see, I have nothing to announce.”
“I can’t say possibly,” Curtin Brink said of the possibility of a meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in San Francisco in November.
