Secretary Blinken’s Visit to the People’s Republic of China

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken traveled to Shanghai and Beijing, the People’s Republic of China, for meetings with President Xi Jinping, Director of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong, and Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining from April 24-26.

The two sides had in-depth, substantive, and constructive discussions on key priorities in the bilateral relationship and on a range of regional and global issues. The Secretary emphasized that the United States will continue to use diplomacy to make progress in areas of difference and areas of cooperation that matter to the American people and the world as part of responsibly managing competition with the PRC.

The Secretary pressed for continued progress in implementing the leaders’ Woodside Summit commitments on key issues, including advancing counternarcotics cooperation to disrupt the global flow of synthetic drugs – including fentanyl and their precursor chemicals – into the United States, enhancing military-to-military communication to avoid miscalculation and conflict, and launching talks on managing the risk and safety challenges posed by advanced forms of artificial intelligence.

The two sides also discussed the importance of strengthening ties between the people of the United States and China. The Secretary emphasized the importance of responsible and reciprocal policies to facilitate expanded exchanges between students, scholars, and businesses.

The Secretary addressed the PRC’s non-market economic policies and practices that distort trade or threaten our national security and raised concern about the global economic consequences of PRC industrial overcapacity. He advocated for fair treatment and a level playing field for U.S. workers and business. The Secretary reiterated that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to defend our interests and values, and those of our allies and partners, including preventing advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine our national security and economy without unduly limiting trade or investment.

The Secretary underscored that it remains a top priority to resolve the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China. He raised concerns about the erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy and democratic institutions and the PRC’s human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as transnational repression and individual cases of concern.

The Secretary raised serious concerns with PRC support to Russia’s defense industrial base that is enabling Russia to prosecute its war against Ukraine and undermining European and transatlantic security.

The Secretary underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and reiterated there has been no change to the U.S. one China policy, which is guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances.

He expressed concerns over destabilizing PRC actions at Second Thomas Shoal, and the importance of upholding the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. The Secretary discussed the need to prevent an escalation of the crisis in the Middle East. He underscored the U.S. enduring commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of maintaining open lines of communication at all times and agreed to continued high-level diplomacy and interactions in the United States and the PRC in the period ahead.