After the delayed trip, Blinken finally meets his Chinese counterpart in Beijing but their meeting doesn’t achieve a significant breakthrough.
Despite apparently great diplomatic efforts from both sides, the rivalry between the United States and China seems to have no clear solution. As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits his counterpart in Beijing, China, he flies back empty-handed.
Blinken’s trip to China had been postponed in February following the Chinese balloon crisis. A Chinese reconnaissance aircraft had been spotted over the skies of the US, sending the American Air Force into panic mode.
China denied all connections to the balloon, claiming it was a private aircraft. Nevertheless, the flimsy US-China relationship deteriorated further.
The US and China are the world’s most powerful and richest countries. China has increasingly steered away from the "globalized West" controlled by the United States. At the moment, China actively wishes to become the new global hegemon.
Though the rivalry has not turned into an active conflict yet, the increasing global tension makes such a scenario even more likely. With Taiwan as the focal point of a possible war between the two superpowers.
Taiwan is an independent democracy off the shore of mainland China. What used to be one single entity split up following the Chinese Civil War. Now, Beijing claims the island of Taiwan as its own and is willing to take it by force.
Nevertheless, the United States is willing to defend Taiwan by means of man-on-ground, which would lead to a third world war.
Fruitless negotiations
Taiwan was one of the core issues discussed by Blinken and Qin Gang, China’s Foreign Minister.
But both countries remain set on their rigid red lines. China continues its threatening military drills around Taiwan and the United States does not want to give up its protection.
Blinken and Qin did not find any agreement on other critical matters either. Sanctions, tariffs, and embargoes continue to hamper trade between China and the United States.
That, however, does not prevent US businessmen like Elon Musk and Bill Gates from continuing their operations in China. There is a constant call for renewed dialogue and trade cooperation between the two countries.
The only thing Blinken and Qin could agree on was ongoing diplomatic attempts going forward. Both sides want to keep the status quo, for the moment, therefore further dialogue is necessary.
"Progress is hard. It takes time. And it’s not the product of one visit, one trip, one conversation," Blinken said. "My hope and expectation is: we will have better communications, better engagement going forward."
But the relationship between the US and China takes two steps back for every step forward. And neither side seems truly willing to change that.
