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China and the United States agreed on Monday to stabilize their intense rivalry so it doesn't veer into conflict but failed to produce any major breakthrough during a rare visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed "progress" after shaking hands with Blinken at the Great Hall of the People, a grand venue usually reserved for greeting heads of state.
The top U.S. diplomat and Xi both stressed the importance of having a more stable relationship, as any conflict between the world's two largest economies would create global disruption.
However, China refused to entertain Washington's bid to resume military-to-military communication channels and cited U.S. sanctions as the obstacle. The two sides appeared entrenched in their positions over everything from Taiwan to trade, including U.S. actions toward China's chip industry, human rights and Russia's war against Ukraine.
At one of the most significant U.S.-China exchanges since President Joe Biden took office, it was not clear how they would overcome their differences, but they agreed to continue their diplomatic engagements with more visits in the coming weeks and months.
At a news conference concluding his two-day trip to Beijing, the first by a U.S. secretary of state since 2018, Blinken said Washington had achieved its objectives for the trip, including raising its concerns directly, trying to set up channels for dialogue and exploring areas of cooperation. The trip was postponed in February after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over U.S. airspace.
But he said progress was not straightforward.
"The relationship was at a point of instability, and both sides recognized the need to work to stabilize it," Blinken said before leaving the country.
"But progress is hard. It takes time. And it’s not the product of one visit, one trip, one conversation. My hope and expectation is: we will have better communications, better engagement going forward."
U.S. officials have been playing down the prospect of a major breakthrough in talks, but they hoped Blinken's visit will pave the way for more bilateral meetings in coming months, including possible trips by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
It had been hoped that it would even pave the way for a summit between Xi and Biden later in the year.
Biden and Xi last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia in November, pledging more frequent communication, although ties since then have deteriorated over Taiwan, espionage accusations and other concerns.
"The two sides have also made progress and reached the agreement on some specific issues. This is very good," Xi told Blinken across a long table bedecked with pink lotus flowers.
Blinken responded by saying the two countries have a responsibility to manage their relationship and that the United States was "committed to doing that."
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