Xi Hopes Blinken Visit Can 'Make Positive Contributions To Relations'

Wires carrying comments from Chinese President Xi Jinping at his meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Xi: "State-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. Hope this visit by Secretary Blinken could make positive contributions to stabilizing China-US relations." Xi adds that "China has made its position clear" to Blinken.

• The fact that the Xi-Blinken meeting has taken place should not be seen as a sign that the US and China will suddenly experience a significant improvement in relations. Instead they could be viewed as the first step in a long process of diplomacy and dialogue that could ease tensions going forwards.
• Should the Xi-Blinken meeting have not taken place it would have been viewed as a very downbeat assessment of Blinken's earlier talks with Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi.