The US delegation held talks in which Daniel Kreitenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs, Director of the National Security Council for China and Taiwan Laura Rosenberger and Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Xi Feng participated in the northern province of Hubei..
The visit comes after the US House of Representatives passed a bill providing for military aid and arms sales to Taiwan worth $10 billion, in a move that Beijing condemned, stressing that it categorically rejects the United States introducing “negative content” for China in the national defense budget..
Taiwan and relations
- Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin: The two sides held in-depth talks in Hebei on implementing the consensus reached at the Bali Summit between the two presidents
- The meeting also touched on Taiwan, the island that enjoys democratic self-rule and which China insists is part of its territory and is a source of contention between Beijing and Washington.
- Wang En Shifeng, Kreitenbrink, and Rosenberger discussed “strengthening exchanges at all levels” and “agreed to maintain contacts.”“
The first visit by a US Secretary of State in 4 years
- The US State Department said last week that the delegation will attend Blinken’s scheduled visit to China in early 2023, which will be the first visit by a US Secretary of State to the country in four years.
- Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated in recent years over a range of issues including human rights, trade and technology
- During their meeting in Bali last month, Xi and Biden discussed controversial issues such as the future of Taiwan, US restrictions on imports of Chinese advanced technology and Beijing’s moves to expand its influence in the world.
- Biden left the meeting stressing that a new Cold War should not break out, while Xi told his US counterpart that the two countries “are bound by common interests that are greater, not less.”“
Taiwan crisis continues
The American expert specializing in international and strategic affairs, Irina Zuckerman, tells Sky News Arabia::
- To understand the direction of these conversations, we need to understand that the fundamental difference between Washington and Beijing is not about any party, administration or leader in office, whether it be Biden or Xi or others, but rather about the basic principles and structure, the geopolitical vision of the two governments and the way they treat their people. And with the outside world.
- These two visions of the two superpowers are incompatible in their essence, however, the Biden administration is trying to make concessions on many issues, but there can be no compromise because Beijing’s vision is long-term and regardless of what it says publicly, given the practical implementation of its policy whether with regard to Taiwan, Military-civilian integration, or China’s role in world affairs more generally.
- For this reason, the Taiwan crisis will ultimately only be resolved by the United States and the international community, making it impossible for China to continue to interfere in Taiwan or through outright invasion and takeover even if that does not happen..
- China regards Taiwan as an inherent part of its territory and will never, in the current political structure, recognize its independence, and as long as it does not recognize Taiwan as a separate country, the threat of crisis will continue..
- Therefore, any breakthroughs that we have seen so far or that we will witness in the near future will be largely due to Biden’s willingness to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing and challenges on the part of China and his willingness not to pressure the vital interests and concerns of the United States in these matters.
- So is China’s willingness to pretend to have a working relationship knowing that issues like energy, the economy, and climate change are vital to Biden while he’s still on the ground at home pursuing the same policy, continuing violations of US national sovereignty through active, industrial measures, and promoting a more forceful foreign policy in the Middle East. Africa, India, the Pacific and Latin America, against American interests.
- Whatever concessions we might see – the resumption of some trade deals and so on – will inevitably boost Beijing’s prestige and second, it will be seen by Beijing as a bone thrown at the Americans in exchange for regaining market access, lifting the threat of sanctions
- China still needs American markets to support its economy, but it will never, in the current structure, see it as an equal partner with whom it can deal as equals, but instead as an inferior power to which it must be reduced to dependence..
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