Sunday’s talks marked the start of the highest-level trip by a US official to China in nearly five years as the rival superpowers aim to stabilise strained relations.
“The secretary emphasised the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Qin told Blinken that China is committed to building a “stable, predictable, and constructive” relationship with the United States, state media reported.
He also made clear China’s concerns regarding its core interests – including the Taiwan issue, describing it as the “most prominent risk” in Sino-US relations, it said.
“The secretary raised a number of issues of concern, as well as opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational issues … where our interests align,” Miller said.
Blinken invited Qin to visit Washington, DC “to continue the discussions, and they agreed to schedule a reciprocal visit at a mutually suitable time”, he noted.
The top American diplomat’s two-day trip comes amid frosty bilateral ties and follows the discovery of a suspected spy balloon above the US in February that prompted him to delay the trip planned the same month.
With China and the US at odds on an array of issues from trade to technology and regional security, both countries have voiced guarded hopes of improving communication.
RHM/PR