US Diplomats Offer Cautious Positive Stance On Blinken China Trip

(MNI) London - Two senior US gov't officials: Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran speaking to reporters regarding Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's recent China trip. The diplomats have sought to put the visit in a positive light. While the meeting between Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be viewed as a sign the ties can be improved, the short length of the meeting (half an hour, with speaking time reduced due to translation) has been seen as something of a snub to the US' senior-most diplomat.

• Kritenbrink says that the "Two sides agreed to continue discussions on developing principles to guide the bilateral relationship as discussed by Biden and Xi in Bali [at the G20 summit in 2022]."
• Kritenbrink: Successful and responsible management of US-China relationship will only be possible if this is a "two way street" [...] Asserting that all problems in bilateral ties are caused by one party simply doesn't reflect reality. [...] Blinken's trip was just 'an initial first step' and US will keep at these issues.
• Beran: Establishing military-to-military communication absolutely critical to managing competition with China [...] US remains willing and able at all levels to meet and call on China to respond appropriately to that.