Xi Jinping highlights progress after meeting with Blinken, but calls for “mutual respect” and insists Taiwan is non-negotiable

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping unexpectedly received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, to whom he pointed out that progress had been made the fruit of this symbolic visit, from which he hopes that a new framework of relations based on “mutual respect” will emerge.

“Interaction between countries should always be based on mutual respect and honesty,” said Xi, after just in recent months mistrust has been the dominant tone in bilateral relations, for example due to the alleged presence of Chinese spy balloons on US territory.

The meeting between Xi and Blinken was not part of the US foreign minister’s official trip agenda and was confirmed by both sides at the last minute.

The Chinese president pointed out that the visit of the head of American diplomacy made it possible to achieve progress on certain points, without going into details, according to the official media of the Asian giant. Xi is seeking to “stabilize” these relations, a desire that Blinken has also shown in the past two days.

In fact, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has already accepted an invitation to visit Washington on Sunday after more than seven hours of meeting with Blinken. The meeting with Xi this Monday fueled speculation about a future high-level meeting, already in the presence of US President Joe Biden, who has shown willingness.

In Beijing, the US Secretary of State met with China’s chief diplomatic officer, Wang Yi, who called for turning the page on Washington’s “wrong policy” towards China.

Wang emphasized Beijing’s steadfast stance on Taiwan.stressing the importance of preserving the national unity and territorial sovereignty of the Asian nation, fundamental elements for the country.

The Chinese diplomat pointed out that the preservation of national unity is part of the essential interests of his country and the historical mission of the Communist Party of China.