BEIJING – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 26 in the latest high-level contacts between the superpowers aimed at keeping tense relations under control.

The visit brought little progress on contentious issues, including China’s support for Russia in Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea and US complaints about cheap Chinese exports.

However, there was some effort to ease the mood by emphasising educational and other cultural exchanges. Following are details of some of the issues:

Ukraine and China’s support for Russia

Mr Blinken raised concerns about China’s support for Russia’s military, saying its supply of so-called dual-use goods was “having a material effect in Ukraine” and raising the threat Russia poses to countries in Europe.

“China is the top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose, which is critical to making munitions and rocket propellants, and other dual-use items that Moscow is using to ramp up its defence industrial base,” Mr Blinken told a news conference.

He did not respond when asked whether Washington would impose sanctions over China’s support for Russia, which US officials warn risks hurting the broader bilateral relationship, even as ties stabilise.

China says it has not provided weaponry to any party and that it is “not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis”. However, it says that normal trade between China and Russia should not be interrupted or restricted.

Taiwan

Mr Wang, China’s top diplomat, said the US must not step on “red lines” covering sovereignty, security and development interests – an apparent reference to Taiwan, the democratically governed island China claims as its own, and the disputed South China Sea.

Russia’s Ukraine invasion has raised fears China might be emboldened to move against Taiwan, which the US is required by law to provide with the means to defend itself.

President Joe Biden, who met President Xi in November 2023 in San Francisco, says Washington does not support Taiwan’s independence, but has upset Beijing by appearing to suggest it would defend the island if it were attacked.

Underscoring the discord, hours before Mr Blinken landed in China on April 24, Mr Biden signed a Bill that included US$8 billion (S$10.9 billion) to counter China’s military might, as well as billions in defence aid for Taiwan and US$61 billion for Ukraine.

Economic relations

China and the United States are the world’s two largest economies and still have robust trade ties. These have been hit by US concerns about the size of its trade deficit with China, Washington’s imposition of restrictions on trade in goods that could bolster China’s military, and efforts to diversify supply chains away from China since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Wang said the US had taken “endless” measures to suppress China’s economy, trade, science and technology, equating such steps to containment. Mr Xi reiterated Beijing’s concerns that the US was suppressing its economic development.

“This is a fundamental issue that must be addressed, just like the first button of a shirt that must be put right, in order for the China-US relationship to truly stabilise, improve and move forward,” Mr Xi said.

Drugs and other issues

Curbing China’s supply of the chemicals used to make fentanyl, a killer drug having a devastating effect among American youth, has been a top US priority.

During his three-day trip, Mr Blinken met China’s Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong to discuss the issue.

He said China has made some progress dealing with what he called the No. 1 killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, but “more needs to be done”.

Mr Blinken also said the countries agreed to hold their first talks on artificial intelligence in the coming weeks.

People-to-people ties

To lighten the mood after days of serious engagement, Mr Blinken popped into a Beijing record store and bought an album by Chinese rocker Dou Wei and American singer Taylor Swift’s Midnights.

One of the aims of his trip has been to emphasise the importance of people-to-people ties in improving relations.

Mr Blinken, a keen musician and guitar player, described music as “the best connector, regardless of geography”.

He also said Mr Xi had said he wanted to “significantly increase” the number of American students in China. Mr Blinken said there were more than 290,000 Chinese students in the US, but fewer than 900 Americans studying in China. REUTERS