White House: "US-China High-Level Communication Positive... Not Yet at 'Thaw' Stage"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The White House recently gave a positive assessment of the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but also stated that U.S.-China relations are not yet in a thawing phase.

According to the White House, John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said during an online briefing on the 22nd (local time) that when asked whether the consecutive high-level communications following the first face-to-face summit on the 14th should be seen as a sign of easing tensions, "I would not describe the relationship with China as thawing."

He evaluated the high-level communications following the summit as "a good thing, reflecting President Biden's intention to maintain communication with the Chinese leadership." Following the conversation between Vice President Kamala Harris and President Xi on the 19th, the U.S. and China defense ministers also held talks on the same day. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also scheduled to visit Beijing soon.

Kirby said, "There will still be contentious issues in the relationship with China, whether it is the South China Sea, Taiwan, or fair trade," adding, "there are still areas where we disagree with China. We will not be passive in raising issues."

However, he emphasized, "There are areas like climate change where we can and should cooperate," and "We need to balance conflicting interests to find equilibrium in U.S.-China relations." He added, "Overall, it is positive that dialogue continues at the high-level, but communication should not be limited to just the high-level."

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