China-US relations: Beijing vows to ‘properly handle’ differences over Taiwan

Commitment comes at the end of a two-day trip by American officials to prepare for a visit by US secretary of state
Chinese foreign ministry says talks were ‘candid, in-depth and constructive’

US-China relations

Amber Wangin Beijing

Published: 7:01pm, 12 Dec 2022

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Beijing pledged to “properly handle” its differences with Washington over Taiwan on Monday, wrapping up a two-day visit by a senior US delegation.

The trip is part of preparations for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China early next year and was hosted by vice foreign minister Xie Feng in Langfang, a city in Hebei province neighbouring Beijing.

The talks with the US delegation, led by assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and National Security Council senior director for China Laura Rosenberger, follow a meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in Bali last month, their first in-person discussions since Biden took office last year.

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The Chinese foreign ministry said Xie had “in-depth” talks with the two US officials on implementing the consensus reached by Xi and Biden in Bali, an agreement that included establishing the guiding principles of China-US relations.

The ministry said the two sides agreed to “properly handle important and sensitive issues in bilateral relations such as Taiwan” as well as “strengthen exchanges at all levels and carry out cooperation in related fields”.

The exchanges were “candid, in-depth and constructive”, and they agreed to continue to maintain communication, it added.

In an earlier statement, the US Department of State said the trip by Kritenbrink and Rosenberger was to follow up on the leaders’ meeting in Bali “to continue responsibly managing the competition between our two countries and to explore potential areas of cooperation”.

The trip was also to prepare for Blinken’s first visit to China as secretary of state early next year, according to the statement on Saturday.

The department said the two senior officials will next head to South Korea and Japan, where they will hold consultations on a range of regional and bilateral issues.

During the meeting between Xi and Biden in Bali, the two sides agreed to step up dialogue on issues such as climate change, macroeconomic policies, trade and food security, the foreign ministry said.

They also agreed that the diplomatic teams of both sides should maintain strategic communication and carry out regular consultations.

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Since then, senior officials from both sides have met to implement such consensus in a push for open lines of communication, helping to partially thaw relations largely frozen since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August.

Chinese State Councillor and Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe met with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin during an Asean meeting in Cambodia late last month, also agreeing to improve communication channels.

And Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met Chinese central bank chief Yi Gang on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali last month.

Yellen also said earlier this month that she was “open” to visiting China to deepen economic engagement.

In addition, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met US trade representative Katherine Tai on the margins of the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, making similar pledges to keep talking.