Blinken, in Shanghai, begins expected contentious talks with Chinese officials
Shanghai — US Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking to local government officials in Shanghai.
Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Shanghai Chinese Communist Party Secretary Chen Jining. He also planned to speak to students and business leaders before leaving by train for Beijing for what are expected to be contentious talks with national officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday, shortly before President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package that includes several elements likely to anger the Chinese, including $8 billion to address China’s growing aggression toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea to counteract. It is also trying to force TikTok’s Chinese parent company to sell the social media platform.
China has spoken out against US aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island it considers a renegade province, and immediately condemned the move as a dangerous provocation. It also strongly opposes attempts to force the sale of TikTok.
Still, the fact that Blinken made the trip — shortly after a call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a similar visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a phone call between the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs — is a sign that the two sides at least willing to discuss their differences.
“I think it’s important to underscore the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of talking to each other, laying out our differences, which are real, and trying to overcome them,” Blinken told Chen.
“We have an obligation to our people, and indeed an obligation to the world, to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly,” he said. “That is the obligation we have, and one we take very seriously.”
Chen agreed with that sentiment, saying the recent Biden-Xi call had contributed to the “stable and healthy development of the relationship between our two countries.”
“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation, it affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries and the future of humanity,” he said.
Chen added that he hoped Blinken could gain a “deep impression and understanding” of Shanghai.
Shortly after arriving, Blinken attended a Chinese basketball playoff match between the local Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, with the home team losing in a 121-120 nail-biter in the final seconds.