China And USA Agreed In Beijing On Monday Today To Enhance Relationships

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed in a meeting in Beijing on Monday to work together to stabilise the troubled relationship between the world's two largest economies.

Blinken is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January. The trip comes amid heightened tensions over a range of issues, including trade, technology, human rights and Taiwan.

In an opening statement, Xi said the relationship between the two countries had experienced "serious difficulties" in recent years. "We should work together to advance a healthy and stable development of China-U.S. relations," Xi said, according to state media.

Blinken told Xi the U.S. wants a "productive and constructive relationship" with China, but would continue to address areas of concern, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

The top diplomats from both sides agreed to maintain open communication and responsibly manage differences to avoid conflict, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.

Blinken said the Biden administration was reviewing aspects of U.S.-China policy, but that both sides had a responsibility to ensure competition between them did not veer into conflict.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. Secretary  of State Antony Blinken during the meeting

The meeting in the Chinese capital lasted about five hours, according to a U.S. official. Further details of their talks were not immediately available.

Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday evening, marking the first visit by a senior Biden administration official to China. He was greeted at the airport by Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao.

On Monday morning, Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang said the U.S. side should not interfere in China's internal affairs, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.

Blinken's Asia tour aims to shore up U.S. alliances in the face of growing assertiveness by China. He will also visit South Korea and Japan.

Biden has largely kept in place the hardline stance on China taken by his predecessor Donald Trump, but has also said his approach would be more pragmatic. He has so far kept tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods in place.

The Biden administration has also shown no sign of dropping charges against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, who remains under house arrest in Canada pending an extradition hearing.

However, Biden has taken a softer tone with allies and partners regarding China. He dropped a plan to withdraw U.S. troops stationed in Germany, a move some analysts saw as weakening the U.S. stance against Beijing.

Biden has also re-committed the United States to global institutions like the World Health Organization, from which the Trump administration withdrew, and rejoined the Paris climate accord, making cooperation with China on issues like climate change possible again.

The Biden administration says it will maintain pressure on China over human rights and other issues of concern. U.S. officials have slammed China's crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and the mass detention of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Huawei HQ in Shenzen, China

China denies abuses in Xinjiang and says its policies in Hong Kong are aimed at ensuring the city's stability.

In a call with Xi in February, Biden pressed China on human rights concerns but also sought cooperation on issues such as climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. The call was broadly constructive, according to both sides.

Blinken's visit is unlikely to resolve the deep divisions that remain between Washington and Beijing, but experts say it could help set guardrails in the relationship to prevent tensions from spiraling out of control.

"This is about trying to stabilise the relationship, trying to get it back on a more constructive path... that allows for cooperation on issues like climate change while also allowing some space to continue to compete vigorously on technology, trade and other issues," said Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat now with the Asia Society Policy Institute.

Blinken's Asia tour will be closely watched to see if he can strike a balance between upholding democratic values and pressing U.S. economic and security interests.

Allies like Japan and South Korea are keen for signs Biden will stand up to China on issues like technology and trade. But they also worry about being dragged into a confrontation with their top trading partner by an unpredictable United States.