The long-awaited visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Washington kicked off on Thursday, highlighting the increasing communication between the U.S. and China, despite escalating global tensions from conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warmly received Wang at the State Department on Thursday afternoon. Earlier this week, Blinken had expressed his commitment to collaborating with Wang to prevent the spread of the Middle East conflict. Wang reciprocated with a cooperative tone at the outset of the meeting.
Wang stated, "China and the United States need to engage in dialogue. It's not just about resuming dialogue; it should be in-depth and comprehensive. Through this dialogue, we can enhance mutual understanding, reduce misunderstandings and misjudgments, and continuously seek to expand common ground and pursue cooperation that benefits both sides. This will help stabilize China-U.S. relations and return them to a path of healthy, stable, and sustainable development." Wang made this statement through a translator.
Both the U.S. and China have wielded their influence in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with the shared goal of preventing a broader war that could jeopardize their respective interests. While the U.S. has publicly supported Israel, China has called for a ceasefire between Israel and the Western-designated terrorist group Hamas, based in Gaza.
During his visit, Wang is expected to meet with President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and engage in discussions with President Biden. This meeting sets the stage for an anticipated meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.
This meeting follows closely after California Governor Gavin Newsom met with Xi, marking the first meeting between a U.S. governor and Xi in six years. Newsom described the fact that he was allowed to meet with China's top leader as "indicative of a thawing."
"We must de-escalate tensions, manage our strategic differences, and find common ground on our strategic objectives," he said.
While additional channels of communication may be opening, it's important not to mistake China-U.S. relations as entirely cordial at the moment. This meeting comes one day after China referred to the U.S. as the "biggest disrupter of regional peace and stability" in the world in response to a report from the Pentagon about China's growing military capabilities.
"The U.S. has supplied depleted uranium munitions and cluster bombs to Ukraine, deployed carrier battle groups to the Mediterranean, and provided weapons and munitions to Israel. Is this what the 'human rights defender' is bringing to the region?" questioned Wu Qian, the spokesperson for China's defense ministry.
The Pentagon's report revealed that China is expanding its nuclear weapons arsenal more rapidly than projected. Regarding the ongoing concern that Beijing might take military action against Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province, the report suggests that China is "almost certainly" drawing lessons from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to understand how a conflict in that area might unfold.