Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the rest of the world is eager to see a responsibly managed US-Chinese relationship and he urged China to do its part.
Blinken’s comment on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS hints at concern among America’s allies, including in Europe, that US efforts to counter China militarily and economically are forcing them to choose sides in a new Cold War.
“There’s a clear demand signal that I’m hearing around the world everywhere I go that each of us, the United States and China, will responsibly manage this relationship,” Blinken said in the interview broadcast Sunday.
Blinken cited a recent flurry of engagement by top Biden administration officials, including visits to Beijing by himself, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and climate envoy John Kerry, as a sign that the US is “trying to at least put some stability” into the relationship between the two biggest economies.
During her visit, Yellen said there’s “ample room” for trade and investment while saying the US won’t shy away from “targeted actions to protect our national security” — a reference to measures such as limits on exports of advanced chip-making technology to China.
Her visit was part of a broader push by President Joe Biden’s administration to mend relations with America’s main geopolitical rival while also sending clear messages about US policy.
Blinken said “these are early days” in the search for a greater US-China dialogue.
The “demand signal” for China “to engage responsibly is strong, is clear, is loud from around the world,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday at a regular press briefing in Beijing her nation hoped “the US will work with us to bring bilateral relations back to the right track of sound and steady growth.”
“This not only serves the interests of both peoples, but it’s also the shared expectation of the international community,” she added.
--With assistance from Martin Ritchie.
(Updates with comment from China’s Foreign Ministry.)
