Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with junior Chinese Communist Party officials, students and businessmen in Shanghai on Thursday, pushing for “expanded exchanges” with the rogue state in several areas.
The most notable of his meetings was with Secretary Chen Jining, General Secretary of the Communist Party in Shanghai. Said At a press conference before the meeting, he said he was pleased to hear that Mr. Blinken had watched a basketball game and visited Shanghai’s Yu Garden after arriving on Wednesday.
He met with Shanghai Municipal Party Secretary Chen Jining to discuss the importance of healthy economic competition and a level playing field for American workers and companies doing business in China. pic.twitter.com/Oqa5nCKZYW
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 25, 2024
“The value, indeed the need, of direct engagement, of continued engagement, of talking to each other, of identifying real differences and trying to overcome them, and also of looking for ways to solve them. I think it’s important to emphasize: let’s build cooperation as much as possible,” Blinken said. emphasized Before the meeting with Mr. Chen.
Blinken is on a three-day visit to China, which began with a lackluster reception in Shanghai on Wednesday, with Beijing not bothering to roll out the red carpet or send senior officials. Blinken arrived in Beijing late Thursday and met with unspecified senior officials.
🔹Blinken arrived in Shanghai, China🇳.
🔹When he got off the plane, many people noticed that there was no red carpet on the ground.
🔹The United States has prepared for harsh public opinion in advance, but his visit to China should be seen as a “plea.” pic.twitter.com/t0KFXH8vnj
— Hu Xijin Hu Xijin (@HuXijin_GT) April 24, 2024
State Department announcement During his pre-departure trip, Blinken said he would discuss issues unrelated to fair trade practices and the U.S.-China relationship that President Joe Biden has made central to his foreign policy, such as Russian aggression. He said he was hoping for Ukraine. In a video that appeared to be shot in Shanghai, Blinken promised to highlight China’s large role in facilitating the production and trafficking of fentanyl to the United States. kill According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), an estimated 150 people a day use it, along with other synthetic opioids, in the United States.
Blinken claimed he was traveling to China “to address issues that are important to the American people.”
“One of them is fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, which is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 49,” Blinken continued. “When President Biden and President Xi met in San Francisco late last year, they agreed to work together to prevent fentanyl and its raw materials from entering the United States.”
I’m in China to advance issues that matter most to the American people, including curbing fentanyl trafficking. We will discuss ongoing efforts to fulfill promises made by. @POTUS The same goes for my meeting with President Xi Jinping last fall, and the areas where we have significant disagreements. pic.twitter.com/YMVN4LA6uD
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 24, 2024
“Face-to-face diplomacy is important,” Blinken said.
China’s national propaganda agency Xinhua News Agency He noted that social media users, identified as pro-communist, flooded the video with comments praising Shanghai’s background and denouncing the supposedly inferior American city.
Department of State read out loud Thursday’s meeting between Mr. Blinken and Shanghai Party Secretary Mr. Chen did not mention fentanyl. Instead, Blinken claimed it had “raised concerns about China.” [People’s Republic of China] Referring to trade policy and non-market economic practices, he emphasized that the United States seeks healthy economic competition. But in the end, Blinken and Chen reportedly agreed that it was important to foster “expanded exchanges between students, academics, and businesses.”
In addition to his meeting with Chen, Blinken posted on social media a photo of a meeting with “American business leaders” promoting trade ties with China, saying that “competition” with China “must be fair.” It must be done,” he demanded.
We spoke with American business leaders about the challenges and opportunities they face doing business here in China. I emphasized that both the United States and China can benefit from healthy economic competition, but competition must be fair. pic.twitter.com/gkAtL5hpoB
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 25, 2024
The Chinese Communist Party, which controls the entire Chinese economy, regularly sabotages American businesses by stealing intellectual property and flooding the market with deeply discounted products made by slaves. China also poses a significant national security threat through flagrant violations of sovereignty, including espionage, alliances with enemies of the United States, and running illegal police stations across the United States.
Mr. Blinken’s friendly disposition in Shanghai was not enough for Beijing, which rejected even the vaguest suggestions that China was actively undermining fair trade.
“China will carry out trade and economic cooperation in accordance with market principles, firmly support the multilateral trading system, and fully comply with the WTO.” [World Trade Organization] ” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. Said On Thursday, he answered questions about Biden’s visit. “We hope that the United States will respect the principles of fair competition, abide by the rules of the WTO, and work with China to create conditions that enable the healthy and steady growth of China-US economic and trade relations.”
Before Blinken’s arrival, the Foreign Ministry listed The goals of the visit include getting Washington to accept the “correct perception” of the communist regime, improving dialogue and “effectively managing differences, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, and taking shared responsibilities as major powers.” “Things” are mentioned.
