China’s top diplomat is meeting high-level US officials, possibly including President Joe Biden, on a visit to Washington that could help stabilise US-China ties by facilitating a summit between the American leader and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, met US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Thursday afternoon, shortly after he landed for the three-day visit and quickly raised hopes that the relationship can be steadied.
Before going into their closed-door meeting, Mr Wang said China would seek consensus and cooperation to “push the relationship as soon as possible back to the track of healthy, stable and sustainable development”.
Before the meeting, American officials said they would press Mr Wang on the importance of China stepping up its role on the world stage if it wants to be considered a responsible major international player.
The US has been disappointed with China over its support for Russia in the war against Ukraine and its relative silence on the Israel-Hamas war.
“China should use whatever ability it has as an influential power to urge calm” in the Middle East, said US state department spokesman Matthew Miller.
“We know China has relationships with a number of countries in the region, and we would urge them to use those relationships, the lines of communication they have, to urge calm and stability.”
American officials believe the Chinese have considerable leverage with Iran, which is a major backer of Hamas.
In a readout after the meeting, the US state department said the two men addressed “areas of difference” and “areas of cooperation”, while Mr Blinken “reiterated that the United States will continue to stand up for our interests and values and those of our allies and partners”.
China’s foreign ministry said: “The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations and issues of common concern in a constructive atmosphere.”
Mr Wang is scheduled to meet again on Friday with Mr Blinken as well as national security adviser Jake Sullivan. They are expected to urge China to play a constructive role in both the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars.
It is not yet clear if Mr Wang will meet Mr Biden. The diplomatic practice of reciprocity suggests it is likely, since Mr Blinken met Mr Xi when he visited China in June.
Neither side has confirmed whether Mr Biden and Mr Xi will meet next month on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders gathering in San Francisco.
But Mr Wang’s trip indicates the likelihood is extremely high, said Scott Kennedy, senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the Washington-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
“His visit is most likely about nailing down the agenda and negotiating potential deliverables,” Mr Kennedy said.
The Chinese president last came to the US in 2017, when former President Donald Trump hosted him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Mr Biden, who took office in 2021, has yet to host Mr Xi on American soil. The two men last met in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting of leading rich and developing nations.
The US-China relationship began to sour in 2018 when the Trump administration slapped hefty tariffs on Chinese goods worth 50 billion dollars (£41.3 billion).
It deteriorated further over a range of issues, including rights abuses, the South China Sea, Taiwan, technology and the Covid-19 pandemic.
