Top China envoy and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hold ‘constructive’ talks ahead of Taiwan elections

Closed-door discussions ‘including areas of potential cooperation’ are latest development in CCP official’s visit promoting ‘common understanding’

Meeting in Washington comes at delicate moment in Sino-American relations, with both sides of late eager to make headway

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) meets Liu Jianchao (right, seated across Blinken), head of international liaison for China’s Communist Party, at the State Department in Washington on Friday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:16am, 13 Jan 2024Updated: 9:59am, 13 Jan 2024

A top Chinese Communist Party envoy met senior US officials at the State Department in Washington, hours before voters in Taiwan elect their next leader and legislature as the two sides seek to restore dialogue and stabilise ties.

Liu Jianchao, who leads the CCP’s diplomatic arm, joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in closed-door discussions on Friday morning as part of his ongoing American visit to promote what he described as “common understanding”.

“The two sides had a constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation,” the State Department said in a terse readout of the meeting that also cited “areas of difference” without elaborating.

Blinken “reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea”, it added.

Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the US, attended the meeting, as did US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China and Taiwan Mark Lambert.