China and the US must be "partners, not rivals"Xi tells Blinken

Blinken, visiting China for the second time in less than a year, noted improvements in the relationship but urged Beijing among others to curb its support for Russia.

In a meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi assured that both powers have made “some positive progress” since he met with US President Joe Biden in November.

“The two countries should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said, at the same time warning Washington not to apply measures to slow down its economy, such as the ban on exporting semiconductors or the attempt to seize TikTok from its Chinese owners.

“We hope that the United States can also have a positive vision of China’s development,” Xi said. “When this fundamental problem is resolved…relations can truly stabilize, improve and move forward.”

For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who also met with Blinken, warned him that pressure from the United States could trigger a “downward spiral” and defined the issue of Taiwan as the “first red line,” which Beijing considered part of its territory.

The meeting with Wang, which took place at the Diaoyutai State Guest House and lasted more than five and a half hours, was “extensive and constructive,” according to Blinken.

However Blinken warned of China’s support for Russia’s “brutal war of aggression” in Ukraine and assured that the Asian giant, although it has not directly exported weapons, has helped Russia increase the production of rockets, drones and tanks.

“Russia would have trouble sustaining its assault on Ukraine without China’s support,” he said, warning that the United States is ready to take action if China does not take it itself.

Regarding the tension in the Middle East, Blinken pointed to China’s relations with Iran, saying they “can be positive” to try to calm tensions, prevent escalation, prevent the spread of the conflict” ongoing between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.

According to American officials and experts, Xi’s top priority now is to manage the headwinds to the Chinese economy and, at least in the short term, avoid confrontation with the West. Blinken urged both parties to “responsibly” manage their relationship.

Joe Biden faces a tough battle for the November presidential election against his Republican predecessor Donald Trump, who pursued a belligerent policy toward China during his term.

The US Democratic administration has highlighted the progress achieved thanks to its diplomatic approach to China, such as Beijing’s commitment to impose greater control on the export of chemical precursors of fentanyl, an opioid responsible for an addiction epidemic in the United States.

But at the same time, in some areas Biden has put even greater pressure on China than Trump.

An example is the recent law voted by Congress and endorsed by Biden to force the sale of TikTok, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, or risk a ban in the United States.

US officials allege security and privacy concerns linked to the application, which is very popular among the country’s youth.

ByteDance, which denies these allegations, reiterated on Thursday that it has no intention of selling the video platform.