The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is scheduled to visit Beijing on June 18 in the strongest indication yet that President Joe Biden’s promised thaw in US-China relations may actually materialize.
But, following a series of recent instances, both parties will need to overcome a mutual mistrust that has allowed it to grow after months in which tensions between the two countries have only escalated.
Potential Shift in US-China Relations
At the G7 conference in Japan in May, just as the group of nations released a harsh statement criticizing China’s behavior on a variety of topics, including regional security and economic coercion, Biden made his remarks expecting a thaw.
Any thawing of US-China relations appeared to be a distant possibility in light of the allied economies’ display of unity with the US at the helm.
Nonetheless, there have been hints of greater communication between the two superpowers during the past few weeks.
The CIA director, William Burns, reportedly traveled to Beijing in May for a series of top-secret meetings with intelligence officials, while Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, met Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, in Vienna.
Since Blinken’s original travel to Beijing, which was slated for February, was postponed earlier this year due to the spy balloon story, all of these initiatives have been made as part of an effort to mend relations.
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Balloon Shootdown and Alleged Eavesdropping Facility Threaten Trust
A big Chinese balloon was destroyed by US fighter jets in February off the coast of South Carolina. The Biden administration came to the conclusion that a surveillance airship had passed over important military locations.
While acknowledging ownership of the balloon, China claimed it was a civilian vessel being used for meteorological research.
A big Chinese balloon was destroyed by US fighter jets in February off the coast of South Carolina. The Biden administration came to the conclusion that a surveillance airship had passed over important military locations.
While acknowledging ownership of the balloon, China claimed it was a civilian vessel being used for meteorological research.
The event significantly destroyed the goodwill that had been built up when Vice President Biden and President Xi Jinping met at the G20 meeting in Bali in November.
The incident prompted a global debate regarding the deployment of Chinese surveillance balloons in a number of countries.
Off the coast of South Carolina in February, US fighter planes shot down a sizable Chinese balloon.
The Biden administration came to the conclusion that an airship engaged in surveillance operations over highly sensitive military locations.
The balloon’s ownership was acknowledged by China, which said it was a civilian vessel being used for meteorological research.
The event significantly harmed the goodwill that had been built up when Biden and President Xi Jinping met at the G20 conference in Indonesia in November and ignited a global debate over the deployment of Chinese surveillance balloons in a number of nations.
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