US-China Hawaii Summit Reflects Confrontation in Divergent Statements

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] The private meeting between the US and Chinese foreign ministers in Hawaii may prevent the worsening of tensions between the two countries, but the publicly released statements reflecting different content still indicate a confrontational situation.

On the 19th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that during the private talks held on the 16th-17th (local time) in Hawaii between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Yang Jiechi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Politburo responsible for foreign affairs, the stark differences in positions on various issues between the two countries were clearly revealed. The two foreign ministers met for dinner and talked for about seven hours but failed to reach any consensus, showing only a willingness to maintain dialogue going forward and at least preserve the current level of bilateral relations.

The post-meeting statements released by both governments reflect the ongoing confrontational situation. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "the meeting was constructive," while emphasizing that Politburo member Yang Jiechi conveyed China's positions on Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Xinjiang region, and urged the US to stop interfering in China's internal affairs.

On the other hand, the statement released by the US State Department did not mention sensitive issues such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Xinjiang. The content announced by the US State Department on the night of the 17th (local time) was: "Secretary Pompeo met with Politburo member Yang Jiechi in Hawaii to exchange views on US-China relations. Secretary Pompeo emphasized the importance of US national interests and the need for fully reciprocal deals related to commerce, security, and diplomatic interactions."

Secretary Pompeo also tweeted separately regarding the Hawaii meeting, publicly stating, "We reaffirmed the completion and implementation of all obligations under the Phase One trade agreement between the two countries," thereby putting pressure on China.

On the same day, China's state-run media Global Times commented in an editorial that the Hawaii meeting "showed a signal that both countries want to do something to ease tensions," but also noted that "the statements released after the talks focused on different things. They fully reflect the current US-China relationship. While it does not seem that the bilateral relationship will be severed, it reflects a very confused atmosphere about how to maintain the relationship." The editorial added, "We hope the Hawaii meeting is not in vain. We hope the US government can rebuild a normal course of China policy."

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences researcher Liu Weidong, an American expert, said regarding the Hawaii meeting that it would not help restore US-China relations before the US presidential election at all, stating, "Mutual distrust cannot be fixed by one or two conversations. There is no opportunity for improvement in bilateral relations before the election. There is only room for further deterioration."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.