Antony Blinken-WangYi Meet in Jakarta, Talk US-China Competition

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and China’s Senior Diplomat Wang Yi met in Jakarta on Thursday, July 13, 2023. The meeting was intended to bridge the countries over their years-long rivalry.

Foreign Affairs Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a written statement that the discussion was honest and constructive, consisting of talks about differences and potential cooperation. The US saw the meeting as part of an ongoing effort to continue maintaining open channel communication and to responsibly manage competition by reducing the risk of misperception and miscalculation. Miller also emphasized “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.

Diplomat Wang said to Blinken that the key to bringing US-China relations to the correct path is to take practical actions. According to Wang, the US needs to adopt a rational and pragmatic approach to meet China in the middle. He rejected what he called US “interference” in China. “stop suppressing China’s economy, trade, and technology, and lift illegal and unreasonable sanctions against China,” said Wang as quoted by China’s Foreign Ministry.

In the meeting, Blinken also found alleged involvement from Beijing concerning computer hacking, one day after Microsoft released that the China-backed hacker has breached the email of US governmental institutions. Blinken explained to Wang that every conduct targeting the government, companies, or the US Citizen will be a deep concern. Washington will demand responsibility, said a senior officer of the US Foreign Affairs Department to Reuters.

Beijing portrayed its relations with Washington as the lowest since the start of their diplomatic relations. Both countries' tensions are constantly high concerning trade, security, and geopolitics. 

Minister Blinker met Wang in Beijing last month, marking the first visit from the US in five years. In their previous meeting, US-China disagreed on the issue of Taiwan, the democratic island claimed by Beijing. On Thursday, China’s fighter jet observed the US Air Force patrol aircraft flying over the Taiwan Strait, in the middle of Beijing’s military training on the island.

Concerning the hacking issue, China’s Director of the Think-thank Stimson Center Yun Sun, as quoted by Reuters, assessed that it will not sabotage the US and China’s effort to improve their relations. However, this does not promise a smooth trip. The meeting in Jakarta is intended to pave the way for a meeting between President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at the end of this year, despite the high tension. Both of them will have a chance to meet in Jakarta in September for the ASEAN Summit, or in the middle of G20 meetings in New Delhi, India. Xi and Biden previously met on November 2022. Minister of Finance Janet Yellen has also visited China early this month, while climate messenger John Kerry will visit next week.

REUTERS | DANIEL A. FAJRI

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