Sentiment Improves After Blinken-Xi Meeting, But Defence Issues Remain

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has confirmed to reporters that he has accepted an initiation from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit the US.

• Qin's comments follow a meeting with Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping which has prompted modest optimism that regular cabinet-level meeting will resume after six-months of tense relations.
• Qin notes that, "stabilising the relationship and preventing a downward spiral" is a sentiment shared by both sides, and states "Blinken's visit marks a new beginning."
• Deep fissures remain in defence and security. Blinken told reporters after meeting Xi, it is “absolutely vital that the US and China have military-to-military communications,” but, “at this moment China has not agreed to move forward with that.”
• According to Qin, the resumption of military-to-military contact is in part due to the "unilateral sanctions of the US," likely a reference to new Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu who is currently subject to US sanctions for a defence deal made with Russia. A refusal to remove the sanctions led Beijing to stonewall US requests for a meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Li at the recent Shangri La Security Dialogue.