Blinken set for high-stakes China visit with tensions rising and breakthrough prospects low

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has embarked on a highstakes diplomatic trip to China to try to cool down escalating tensions between the two powers that have set many around the world on edge the Associated Press reportedBlinken will be the highestlevel American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five yearsYet prospects for any significant breakthrough on the most vexing issues facing the planets two largest economies are slim as already ties have grown increasingly fraught in recent yearsAnimosity and recriminations have steadily escalated over a series of disagreements that have implications for global security and stabilityBlinken arrives in Beijing on Sunday for two days of talks He expects to meet with Qin on Sunday Wang and possibly Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday according to US officialsBiden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to Blinkens trip early at a meeting last year in BaliIt came within a day of happening in February but was delayed by the diplomatic and political tumult brought on by the discovery of what the US says was a Chinese spy balloon flying across the United States that was shot downThe list of disagreements and potential conflict points is long ranging from trade with Taiwan human rights conditions in China to Hong Kong as well as the Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea to Russias war in UkraineUS officials said before Blinkens departure from Washington on Friday that he would raise each of them though neither side has shown any inclination to back down on their positionsAlso readBlinken stresses need for better USChinese communications as he heads to BeijingShortly before leaving Blinken emphasised the importance of the US and China establishing and maintaining better lines of communicationThe US wants to make sure that the competition we have with China doesnt veer into conflict due to avoidable misunderstandings he told reportersBiden and Xi had made commitments to improve communications precisely so that we can make sure we are communicating as clearly as possible to avoid possible misunderstandings and miscommunications Blinken said on FridayXi offered a hint of a possible willingness to reduce tensions saying Friday that the United States and China can cooperate to benefit our two countries in a meeting with Microsoft Corp cofounder Bill GatesI believe that the foundation of SinoUS relations lies in the people Xi said to GatesUnder the current world situation we can carry out various activities that benefit our two countries the people of our countries and the entire human raceSince the cancellation of Blinkens trip in February there have been some highlevel engagementsCIA chief William Burns traveled to China in May while Chinas commerce minister traveled to the US And Bidens national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinas top diplomat Wang Yi in Vienna in MayBut those have been punctuated by bursts of angry rhetoric from both sides over the Taiwan Strait their broader intentions in the IndoPacific Chinas refusal to condemn Russia for its war against Ukraine and US allegations from Washington that Beijing is attempting to boost its worldwide surveillance capabilities including in CubaAnd earlier this month Chinas defence minister rebuffed a request from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for a meeting on the sidelines of a security symposium in Singapore a sign of continuing discontentAustin said Friday he was confident that he and his Chinese counterpart would meet at some point in time but were not there yetUnderscoring the situation China rejected a report by a US security firm that blamed Chineselinked hackers for attacks on hundreds of public agencies schools and other targets around the world as farfetched and unprofessionalA Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson repeated accusations that Washington carries out hacking attacks and complained the cybersecurity industry rarely reports on themThat followed a similar retort earlier in the week when China said Foreign Minister Qin Gang had in a phone call with Blinken urged the United States to respect Chinas core concernsiquest such as the issue of Taiwans selfrule and iqueststop interfering in Chinas internal affairs and stop harming Chinas sovereignty security and development interests in the name of competitionMeanwhile the national security advisers of the United States Japan and the Philippines held their first joint talks Friday and agreed to strengthen their defence cooperation in part to counter Chinas growing influence and ambitionsThis coincides with the Biden administration inking an agreement with Australia and Britain to provide the first with nuclearpowered submarines with China moving rapidly to expand its diplomatic presence especially in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific island nations where it has opened or has plans to open at least five new embassies over the next yearThe agreement is part of an 18monthold nuclear partnership given the acronym AUKUS for Australia the United Kingdom and the United StatesSpeaking before Blinkens departure two US officials downplayed hopes for major progress and stressed that the trip was intended to restore a sense of calm and normalcy to highlevel contactsWere coming to Beijing with a realistic confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possibleiquest said Daniel Kritenbrink the top US diplomat for East Asia and the PacificKurt Campbell the top Asia expert at the National Security Council said intense competition requires intense diplomacy if were going to manage tensionsThat is the only way to clear up misperceptions to signal to communicate and to work together where and when our interests align AP