Blinken asks his Chinese counterpart to keep the lines of communication open to avoid conflict

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held a telephone conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, with whom he discussed efforts to maintain constant communication between the two powers.

“We discussed ongoing efforts to keep communication channels open, as well as bilateral and global issues,” Blinken said via his official Twitter profile.

Afterwards, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stressed that Blinken had conveyed to Qin that this was essential “to responsibly manage the US-China relationship to avoid misjudgments and conflicts”.

It also said that Blinken “made it clear that the US will continue to use diplomatic exchanges to convey concerns as well as areas of potential cooperation.”

For his part, the Chinese Foreign Minister explained that “since the beginning of the year, Sino-American relations have encountered new difficulties and challenges”, stressing that the responsibility of those powers is “clear”.

“China has always considered and managed Sino-US relations in accordance with the principles of respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation outlined by President Xi Jinping,” Qin said, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry.

The portfolio chief emphasized “his strong position on China’s main concerns”, aspects which he said must be respected by Washington. “(It must) stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop undermining China’s sovereignty, security and development interests for the sake of competition,” he said.

In addition, Qin said he “expects the US to adopt practical measures” and will work with Beijing to “effectively manage differences, promote exchanges and cooperation, and foster relations” bilaterally to “stabilize and return to the path of healthy and stable development.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington escalated in August with the visit of then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Then, in February, the US ordered the shooting down of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over US territory.

The event forced Blinken to cancel a long-awaited trip to Beijing. Since then, officials in President Joe Biden’s administration have made it known that they would like to expand communication channels between the two countries.

At a news conference in late April, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden hoped to speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping “soon.”

The leaders have not held bilateral talks since meeting at the G20 summit in Indonesia last November.