US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks on the Indonesian island of Bali, a day after both attended a gathering of top diplomats from the failed Group of 20 rich and big developing countries. to reach a consensus on Russia’s war in Ukraine and how to deal with its effects. Wang and Blinken were to discuss a range of contentious issues, from tariffs and trade and human rights to Taiwan and disputes in the South China Sea. Just two days earlier, top US and Chinese military officers met in Taiwan during a virtual meeting. Blinken said as the pair headed to the closed-door meeting: “In such a complex and consequential relationship as the one between the United States and China, there is much to discuss and I very much look forward to a productive, constructive conversation.” Wang said it is “necessary for the two countries to maintain normal exchanges” and “work together to ensure that this relationship continues to move forward on the right track.” He echoed frequent Chinese lines about staying committed to the principles of “mutual respect”, “peaceful coexistence” and “win-win cooperation”. This, he said, “serves the interests of the two countries and two peoples. It is also the common ambition of the international community.” Blinken was expected to repeat warnings to China not to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the two sides will face contentious issues that include Taiwan, China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, expanding its influence in the Pacific, human rights and trade tariffs. US officials said in advance that they did not expect any significant progress from Blinken’s talks with Wang. But they said they were optimistic the conversation could help keep lines of communication open and create “guardrails” to guide the world’s two largest economies as they navigated increasingly complex and potentially explosive issues. Daniel Russell, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia under former President Barack Obama, who is in close contact with Biden administration officials, said he believed a key goal of the meeting would be to explore the possibility of a one-on-one meeting between the president of the USA. Joe Biden and Xi – their first as leaders, possibly on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali in November. The US and China have taken increasingly confrontational positions, including on Ukraine, which some fear could lead to miscalculation and conflict. The US is watching warily as China refuses to criticize the Russian invasion, while condemning Western sanctions against Russia and accusing the US and NATO of provoking the conflict. The Biden administration had hoped that China, with its long history of opposing what it sees as interference in its internal affairs, would take a similar position with Ukraine. But he did not, opting instead for what US officials see as a hybrid position that harms the rules-based international order. At the G20 meeting, Wang made an oblique reference to China’s global stability policy, saying: “Putting one’s own security above the security of others and intensifying military blocs will only divide the international community and he will make himself less safe.” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On Thursday, China’s chief of staff, General Li Zucheng, rebuked his American counterpart, General Mark Milley, for Washington’s support for Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province. Li called on the US to stop military “collusion” with Taiwan, saying China has “no room for compromise” on issues affecting its “core interests”, which include self-ruled Taiwan. Beijing claims it as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. “China demands that the US … stop reversing history, stop US-Taiwan military collusion and avoid affecting China-US ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Li said. At the same time, Li also said in a defense ministry press release that China hoped to “further strengthen dialogue, manage risks and promote cooperation, rather than deliberately create confrontations, provoke incidents and become mutually exclusive.” China routinely flies warplanes near Taiwan to advertise its threat of attack, and the island’s defense ministry said Chinese air force jets crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait that separates the two sides on Friday morning. The meeting between Li and Milley followed fiery comments by Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe at a regional security conference last month, which was also attended by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Wei accused the US of trying to “hijack” the support of countries in the Asia-Pacific region to turn it against Beijing, saying Washington was seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism”. At the same meeting in Singapore, Austin said China was causing instability with its claim to Taiwan and increased military activity in the region. In May, Blinken drew Chinese ire by calling the country “the most serious long-term challenge to the international order” for the US, with its claims to Taiwan and efforts to dominate the strategic South China Sea. The US and its allies have responded with what they call “freedom of navigation” patrols in the South China Sea, prompting angry reactions from Beijing.
