Home » World » The future of the Sino-US relationship enters a concrete phase

The future of the Sino-US relationship enters a concrete phase

Summit meeting. US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken will meet a senior Chinese leader on Thursday March 18 for the first time since Joe Biden arrived at the White House. The meeting between the US Secretary of State and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will take place in Anchorage, Alaska. They will be accompanied, on the American side, by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and on the Chinese side by high-ranking diplomat Yang Jiechi.

The meeting will be held for Antony Blinken after returning from a three-day trip to Japan and South Korea with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin. A visit which aims to strengthen ties between the United States and its allies, especially vis-à-vis China, described as “Biggest geopolitical challenge of the 21st century”.

Quad virtual meeting

Until then, the President of the United States will meet this Friday with the Prime Ministers of Australia, Japan and India – as part of an alliance called “Quad”. “The fact that President Biden has chosen to make this one of his first multilateral events demonstrates the importance we place on close cooperation with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region”, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki. She also felt it was important for Washington that the first high-level meeting with Chinese leaders take place. “On American soil”.

After four years of stormy relations between Beijing and Washington, the Biden administration displays a line of firmness vis-à-vis Beijing, but more dispassionate than that tied for four years by Donald Trump. “Our relationship with China will be competitive when it has to be, collaborative when it can be and antagonistic when it is necessary”, explains American diplomacy.

Many subjects of conflict

The last high-level Sino-American meeting dates back to June last year, between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Yang Jiechi, in Hawaii (United States). Without having given tangible results at the time, when the two countries had signed a trade agreement a few months earlier, the terms of which were in fact not respected.

To maintain leverage, Joe Biden has maintained the status quo on tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on China and deferred decisions on Huawei or TikTok, but the subjects of conflict go well beyond the question of trade or property intellectual. Washington is thus questioning multiple issues, from human rights in Xinjiang to the management of the Covid by China, including cybersecurity and Beijing’s desire for territorial domination.

During a hearing before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Antony Blinken notably justified the return of the United States to the World Health Organization (WHO). “When we withdraw, China occupies the field”, he explained to a Republican deputy.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.