White House: "Xi Jinping-Blinken Talk, Good Progress... No Summit Scheduled"

The White House in the United States stated on the 19th (local time) that Secretary of State Tony Blinken had constructive talks with President Xi Jinping and others during his visit to China, describing it as a "good progress." However, it drew a line regarding the possibility of a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and President Xi, saying nothing has been decided yet.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing on Air Force One en route to California that day, "I think (Secretary Blinken having) constructive talks with President Xi is good progress." Secretary Blinken visited China for the first time in five years as U.S. Secretary of State, meeting sequentially with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the 18th, Politburo member Wang Yi on the 19th, and President Xi.

Regarding this, Press Secretary Jean-Pierre reiterated the State Department's overall assessment of the China visit as "frank, substantive, and constructive dialogue." She said, "Secretary Blinken emphasized the importance of maintaining open communication channels on all various issues to reduce the risk of miscalculation," adding, "We will compete fiercely with China but manage that competition responsibly to prevent it from escalating into conflict." She also added, "We made it very clear that what we want is competition, not conflict."

Press Secretary Jean-Pierre conveyed that President Biden closely monitored Secretary Blinken's visit to China. President Biden is expected to receive a detailed briefing after Secretary Blinken returns.

However, Press Secretary Jean-Pierre responded that nothing has been decided yet regarding the possibility of a U.S.-China summit. On the same day, as Secretary Blinken met with President Xi, analyses poured in suggesting that this meeting could lay the groundwork for a U.S.-China summit. Given that President Biden recently expressed hope to meet President Xi again "within a few months," there is speculation that the two leaders might hold talks on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in San Francisco, California, in November. Before the summit, visits are expected to include State Councilor Qin Gang’s trip to the U.S., as well as visits to China by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

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