China Tells the US They Should Be ‘Partners Rather Than Adversaries’

China’s leader Xi Jinping said the US and China should be “partners rather than adversaries” as he met with top American diplomat Antony Blinken in Beijing on Friday.

“China would like to see a confident, open and prosperous United States. We hope that the United States will view China’s development in a positive light,” Xi told Blinken.

“Once this fundamental problem is solved … Sino-US relations will truly get better and move forward,” he said. “China and the US should be partners rather than adversaries; help each other succeed rather than harm each other.”

Xi’s comments come as Chinese officials bristle at actions Washington has taken in the name of national security in the face of an increasingly assertive China, but which Beijing sees as meant to suppress its development.

Those have included US controls on the export to China of high-tech goods that could have military uses, as well as curbs on US investment in certain high-tech sectors in China.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden signed a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban on the social media platform TikTok if the company’s Chinese parent ByteDance doesn’t sell it – legislation Beijing has previously decried.

Need to strengthen channels of communication between US and China

Blinken told Xi the US was “committed to maintain and strengthen lines of communications” with China and “deal responsibly with our differences, so we would not have any miscommunications, misperceptions and any miscalculations.”

Examples of recent progress Blinken cited included “restoring military-to-military communications, counternarcotics and thinking together about the futures of artificial intelligence.”

The American diplomat speaking to the press after the meeting said he raised concerns about China’s support for Russia. He also spoke to Chinese officials about “dangerous actions” in the South China Sea – noting tensions in the Taiwanese Strait in recent months.

A potential TikTok ban did not come up in conversations between US and Chinese officials, he added.

Bejing has a key role in exerting diplomatic influence to stop the Gaza conflict spreading into the wider Middle East region, Blinken said.

He also spoke of wanting Bejing to discourage Iran from escalating tensions in the Middle East.

“Substantive and constructive” talks

Their meeting followed five hours of face time between Blinken and counterpart Wang Yi, which both sides characterized as “substantive and constructive.”

I had an in-depth and substantive meeting today with People’s Republic of China Director Wang Yi. As part of our effort to responsibly manage competition, we discussed areas of difference, in addition to areas of shared interest — like counternarcotics — where we can build on… pic.twitter.com/uGkTh6FPqz

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 26, 2024

But Wang was also clear about sharp tensions that still exist between the world’s two superpowers. As their meetings got underway, Wang said China and the US face a choice between stability and a “downward spiral.”

“Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral? This is a major question before our two countries, and tests our sincerity and ability,” Wang told Blinken during a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, after saying US-China ties were “beginning to stabilize.”

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