U.S. and China Vow to 'Stabilize' Relations During Blinken's Visit

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China over the weekend, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other party leaders amid months of tension between the two preeminent superpowers. 

For Context: Blinken originally planned to visit China in February, but the trip was postponed after a Chinese spy balloon drifted over the United States. Earlier this month, a Chinese warship reportedly came within 150 yards of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Taiwan Strait between China and Taiwan. 

Details: During the talks, Blinken sought to engage in diplomatic efforts after a string of incidents in recent months deteriorated the relationship between China and the U.S. During this trip, Blinken reiterated U.S. support of the ‘One China’ policy, the Beijing stance that the island of Taiwan is a rogue province and not independent. While the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as independent, it does maintain a positive relationship with the self-governing island. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visited Taiwan in August 2022, angering Chinese leadership. According to Blinken, both countries agreed to “stabilize” relations, and China’s main diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, Yang Tao, said the “meeting marks a new beginning.” But China denied a key objective of Blinken going into the talks— establishing communication links between the Chinese and U.S. military. 

How The Media Covered It: Left-rated media tended to focus coverage and headlines around the diplomatic gains, while right-rated media focused more heavily on China’s denial of military communications.