Blinken, Xi Meet Amid Ongoing Issues   04/26 06:20

   U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi 
Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of "responsibly 
managing" the differences between the United States and China as the two sides 
butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues.

   BEIJING (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with 
Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the 
importance of "responsibly managing" the differences between the United States 
and China as the two sides butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, 
regional and global issues.

   Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months, even as 
differences have grown. Blinken said he raised concerns with Xi about China's 
support for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as other issues 
including Taiwan and the South China Sea, human rights and the production and 
export of synthetic opioid precursors.

   Blinken sounded a positive note on recent progress made in bilateral 
cooperation, including in military communications, counternarcotics and 
artificial intelligence.

   "We are committed to maintaining and strengthening lines of communication to 
advance that agenda, and again deal responsibly with our differences so we 
avoid any miscommunications, any misperceptions, any miscalculations," he said.

   But he said he made clear to Xi ongoing concerns about Beijing's supply of 
materials, including machine tools and micro electronics, to Moscow that 
President Vladimir Putin is using to boost Russia's defenses and its war on 
Ukraine.

   "Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China's 
support," Blinken told reporters after his meeting with Xi.

   "Fueling Russia's defense industrial base not only threatens Ukrainian 
security, it threatens European security," he added. "As we've told China for 
some time, ensuring transatlantic security is a core U.S. interest. In our 
discussions today. I made clear that China does not address this problem."

   Blinken also said he urged China to use its influence "to discourage Iran 
and its proxies from expanding the conflict in the Middle East " and convince 
North Korea "to end its dangerous behavior and engage in dialogue."

   Blinken also discussed with Xi China's maritime maneuvers in the disputed 
South China Sea, and reiterated "ironclad" American support for the 
Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

   Xi stressed that China and the U.S. must seek common ground "rather than 
engage in vicious competition."

   "China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous and thriving United 
States," the Chinese leader said. "We hope the U.S. can also look at China's 
development in a positive light. This is a fundamental issue that must be 
addressed."

   Earlier, Blinken held lengthy talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi 
and Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong.

   He and Wang underscored the importance of keeping lines of communication 
open as they lamented persistent and deepening divisions that threaten global 
security. Those divisions were highlighted earlier this week when U.S. 
President Joe Biden signed a massive foreign aid bill that contains several 
elements that the Chinese see as problematic.

   "Overall, the China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize," Wang told 
Blinken at the start of about 5 1/2 hours of talks. "But at the same time, the 
negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building and the 
relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions."

   "Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving 
forward with stability or return to a downward spiral?" he asked. "This is a 
major question before our two countries and tests our sincerity and ability."

   Wang also outlined, without being specific, well-known Chinese complaints 
about U.S. policies and positions on the South China Sea, Taiwan, human rights 
and China's right to conduct relations with countries it deems fit.

   "China's legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and 
our core interests are facing challenges," he said. "China's concerns are 
consistent. We have always called for respect of each other's core interests 
and urge the United States not to interfere in China's internal affairs, not to 
hold China's development back, and not to step on China's red lines on China's 
sovereignty, security, and development interests."

   Blinken responded by saying that the Biden administration places a premium 
on U.S.-China dialogue even on issues of dispute. He noted there had been some 
progress in the past year but suggested that talks would continue to be 
difficult.

   The State Department said later that Blinken and Wang had "in-depth, 
substantive, and constructive discussions about areas of difference as well as 
areas of cooperation" and made clear that Blinken had stood his ground on U.S. 
concerns.

   Blinken "emphasized that the U.S. will continue to stand up for our 
interests and values and those of our allies and partners, including on human 
rights and economic issues," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said 
in a statement.

   Blinken arrived in China on Wednesday, visiting Shanghai shortly before 
Biden signed the $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements 
likely to anger Beijing, including $8 billion to counter China's growing 
aggressiveness toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. It also seeks to force 
TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform.

   China and the United States are the major players in the Indo-Pacific. 
Washington has become increasingly alarmed by Beijing's growing aggressiveness 
in recent years toward Taiwan and its smaller Southeast Asian neighbors with 
which it has significant territorial and maritime disputes in the South China 
Sea.

   China has railed against U.S. assistance to Taiwan and immediately condemned 
the aid as a dangerous provocation. It also strongly opposes efforts to force 
TikTok's sale.

   The bill also allots $61 billion for Ukraine to defend itself from Russia's 
invasion. The Biden administration has complained loudly that Chinese support 
for Russia's military-industrial sector has allowed Moscow to subvert western 
sanctions and ramp up attacks on Ukraine.

   U.S. officials have said China's ties with Russia would be a primary topic 
of conversation during Blinken's visit, and just before Friday's meetings 
began, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would visit China in May.