U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin his visit to China by holding discussions with business leaders in Shanghai. He'll head to Beijing on Friday for talks with Foreign Minister Wang Li. Blinken is also likely to meet President Xi Jinping during his three-day trip.

Beijing

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to begin his visit to China with an initial engagement in Shanghai, meeting with business leaders before heading to Beijing for further talks. In Beijing, discussions with Foreign Minister Wang Li are scheduled, and Blinken is also likely to meet with President Xi Jinping during his three-day journey. The trip aims to foster stronger dialogue and stabilize the tense bilateral relations between the United States and China.

This visit occurs amid ongoing tensions as U.S. politicians have recently taken actions against China. A recent report by investigators for the U.S. House Committee has accused China of contributing to America's fentanyl crisis by subsidizing the export of precursor chemicals used in the synthetic opioid's production. China has rejected these accusations. Additionally, the U.S. Senate passed a foreign aid package including funds for Taiwan's military and stipulating the sale of the social media app TikTok from its Chinese owners, ByteDance, which China has criticized as unfair.

Antony Blinken's agenda in China includes several pressing issues. High on the list is the war in Ukraine, with Blinken seeking to persuade China to withdraw its support for Moscow. The United States alleges China has been supporting Russia's military efforts by providing machine tools, semiconductors, and other dual-use items. Discussions are also expected to cover the ongoing conflict in Gaza, tensions in the South China Sea, and criticisms of Beijing's industrial policies. Although the visit is unlikely to resolve the deep-seated mistrust between the two nations, it is hoped that it will prevent disagreements from escalating further.



Blinken's visit to China aims to stabilize relations

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is embarking on a three-day visit to China, expecting some difficult conversations ahead. Beijing and Washington say the trip is about strengthening dialogue and stabilizing the rocky bilateral relationship. But it comes as U.S. politicians continue to take actions against China. Investigators for the U.S. House Committee have released a report accusing China of fueling America's fentanyl crisis by subsidizing the export of precursor chemicals. This is despite Beijing agreeing to crack down on the production of the synthetic opioids since 2017. Officials here have dismissed the claim. And some analysts say China is being used as a scapegoat ahead of the November presidential election. It's easy to, and it makes sense for both Democrats and Republicans to agree on creating this image of China as being central, the only main issue to the problem, rather than looking at what are the root causes of Americans being such avid drug users. The U.S. Senate has also passed a foreign aid package, which includes $8 billion for the funding of Taiwan's military, a red-line issue for China. We tell our allies, we will stand with you. We tell our adversaries, don't mess with us. The package would also force the sale of social media app TikTok from its Chinese owners' ByteDance within the next year, a move Beijing has described as unfair. Also high on Antony Blinken's agenda, the war in Ukraine. He wants to convince China to stop supporting Moscow and its war effort. When it comes to Russia's defense industrial base, the primary contributor in this moment to that is China. We see China sharing machine tools, semiconductors, other dual-use items. China denies this, saying its partnership with Russia has nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine. Fanning the flames, smearing others, or shifting the blame is not the right way to resolve the Ukraine issue. Blinken is also expected to raise discussions on the war in Gaza, tensions in the South China Sea, and criticism of Beijing's industrial policy. His visit may not change the high degree of mistrust between the two sides, but both countries hope that it will at least prevent disagreements from spiraling into something worse. Katrina Yu, Al Jazeera, Beijing.

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