US President Joe Biden has said the relations between his country and China are on the “right trail” after Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing and held talks with President Xi Jinping.
The US and China have had a frosty relationship for years, especially after Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, imposed a number of economic measures that disadvantaged China in the American market.
Beijing’s assertive claims over Taiwan and an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the US have further catalysed the deterioration of relations in recent times.
'Good job'
Reacting to Blinken’s meeting with Jinping, Biden said the American envoy did a “good job” during his visit to China.
"I think we are on the trail to having a safer world because America is engaging in a way that it hasn’t in the past, as well as making sure that we have an economy that benefits everyone," Biden said at a climate event in California.
The US and China agreed to stabilise their relations and keep communication channels open to avoid an all-out conflict between the two nations.
Blinken is the highest-level US official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years.
Stabilise relations
Addressing journalists after meeting Blinken on Monday, President Jinping said the world needs a generally stable China-US relationship.
“The common interests of the two countries should be valued, and their respective success is an opportunity instead of a threat to each other,” he said.
On his part, Blinken said the US and China have agreed to “stabilise” US-China relations.
“In every meeting, I stressed that direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage differences and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,” he said.
