THE SQUIZ

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in China for 2 days of diplomatic talks in the first visit by an American official of his seniority to the country since 2018. Blinken’s visit is a step towards mending the damaged relationship – and it was scheduled to happen a lot sooner… America’s top diplomat was due to go to Beijing in February, but a Chinese spy balloon that drifted over the US mainland threw a spanner in the works. Now that Blinken is there, analysts are keen to see if China’s President Xi Jinping will meet him or if Xi will keep his distance. 

WHAT DO BOTH COUNTRIES WANT?

The US wants to reopen diplomatic channels with China, and the fact that the trip is happening at all is a bit of a moment. According to US officials, having open channels is important to avoid the escalation of tensions – or even armed conflict – when the world’s 2 largest economies bump heads. For its part, China is expected to register its unhappiness with America’s continued support of an independent Taiwan, the breakaway territory that China claims as its own. Chinese officials are also tipped to raise an eyebrow at America’s recent moves to deepen security ties in the Pacific and strengthen alliances, including via the Quad with India, Japan, and Australia. As for concrete outcomes? Expectations are low… One American official said, “We’re not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of breakthrough.”

IS UKRAINE ON THE AGENDA?

Yep – reports say Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is on the list. Earlier this year, the US government warned China against providing “lethal aid” – aka weapons and ammo – to Russia’s military, and that warning will be reiterated. That’s not what Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin would want to hear… He’s been requesting that kind of support from China since the start of the war. Speaking of Putin, the Russian leader met with a delegation of African leaders this weekend who urged an end to the invasion, with the leaders saying the war has had “a negative impact on the African continent and indeed, on many other countries around the world”. Reports say Putin interrupted the African leaders as they were calling for the return of Ukrainian children to their families, the same conduct that led to Putin’s arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. Putin told the African leaders that “children are sacred” and that “we moved them out of the conflict zone.”