Expectations about US Secretary of State Blinken's visit to China

This weekend, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China, becoming the first US secretary of state to visit China in five years and the first US cabinet-level official to visit Beijing in four years.

The trip was scheduled for February but was postponed after the US military shot down a Chinese balloon that Washington said was a “spy balloon”, while Beijing said it was a meteorological balloon for civilian use.

Secretary of State Blinken's trip, which began on June 16, comes amid a serious deterioration in relations between the two economic superpowers. US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns described this as the lowest point in relations between the two countries since US President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972 to establish relations.

US State Department officials have provided the latest insights into what Secretary Blinken and his Chinese hosts are expected to discuss during the visit, including discussions on maintaining open lines of communication, bilateral, global and regional issues of concern, and potential cooperation on common transnational challenges.

In a statement on June 15, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink said the talks would include discussions focused on ways to prevent miscalculations that could lead to conflict.

Just before the visit began, Kurt Campbell - the White House's top official for Asia - downplayed expectations, saying the US needed to be more realistic and that the trip was not aimed at achieving some breakthrough or change in how it responds to China.

Secretary Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang also spoke by phone on June 13 to confirm the visit to China. During the call, Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the US-China relationship to avoid miscalculation and potential conflict.

Meanwhile, Mr. Qin Gang assessed that since the beginning of the year, China-US relations have encountered many obstacles. He expressed hope that Washington will work with Beijing to resolve differences, promote exchanges and cooperation, avoid the risk of further deterioration of bilateral relations, and bring this relationship back to a healthy and stable development trajectory.

Secretary Blinken's trip was not reported on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website. Meanwhile, Chinese media was also "silent" in reporting on Secretary Blinken's visit.

Last week, at an event in Washington, DC, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng unveiled a detailed plan for building a friendly relationship between China and the United States, based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, enhancing dialogue and cooperation, and easing hot spots.

“Stabilizing China-US relations can take place without affecting each other's national interests,” Ambassador Xie stressed.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper