President Xi Jinping Meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
On the afternoon of June 19, President Xi Jinping met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing.
President Xi pointed out that the world is developing and the times are changing. The world needs a generally stable China-U.S. relationship. Whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity. Planet Earth is big enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the United States. The Chinese, like the Americans, are dignified, confident and self-reliant people. They both have the right to pursue a better life. The common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity instead of a threat to each other. The international community is generally concerned about the current state of China-U.S. relations. It does not want to see conflict or confrontation between China and the United States or choose sides between the two countries. It expects the two countries to coexist in peace and have friendly and cooperative relations. The two countries should act with a sense of responsibility for history, for the people and for the world, and handle China-U.S. relations properly. In this way, they may contribute to global peace and development, and help make the world, which is changing and turbulent, more stable, certain and constructive.
President Xi stressed that major-country competition does not represent the trend of the times, still less can it solve America’s own problems or the challenges facing the world. China respects U.S. interests and does not seek to challenge or displace the United States. In the same vein, the United States needs to respect China and must not hurt China’s legitimate rights and interests. Neither side should try to shape the other side by its own will, still less deprive the other side of its legitimate right to development. China always hopes to see a sound and steady China-U.S. relationship and believes that the two major countries can overcome various difficulties and find the right way to get along based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. He called on the U.S. side to adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude, and work with China in the same direction. President Xi pointed out that the two sides need to remain committed to the common understandings he and President Biden had reached in Bali, and translate the positive statements into actions so as to stabilize and improve China-U.S. relations.
Secretary Blinken conveyed President Biden’s greetings to President Xi. He said President Biden believes that the United States and China have an obligation to responsibly manage their relations. This is in the interest of the United States, China and the world. The United States is committed to returning to the agenda set by the two presidents in Bali. The United States stands by the commitments made by President Biden, namely the United States does not seek a new Cold War, it does not seek to change China’s system, its alliances are not directed at China, it does not support “Taiwan independence”, and it does not seek conflict with China. The U.S. side looks forward to having high-level engagement with the Chinese side, keeping open lines of communication, responsibly managing differences, and pursuing dialogue, exchanges and cooperation.
President Xi asked Secretary Blinken to convey his regards to President Biden.
Wang Yi and Qin Gang, among others, were present at the meeting.