US, Beijing resume dialogue
WASHINGTON: The United States and China resumed top-level talks yesterday after months of spiralling tension, looking to see if they can find a way forward on disputes from trade to military friction.
Yesterday’s delayed meeting in Washington comes weeks before US leader Donald Trump is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, with both sides hoping they can announce some progress.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis spent yesterday morning with two high-ranking Chinese policymakers, days after a congressional election in which Mr Trump painted China as a bogeyman.
A planned trip by Mr Mattis to Beijing last month was cancelled amid rising military tensions between the Pacific powers. But yesterday, China’s defence minister, General Wei Fenghe, will visit the Pentagon to a ceremonial honour cordon.
The defence chiefs held talks at the State Department beforehand with Mr Pompeo and senior Communist Party official Yang Jiechi, a longtime architect of Chinese foreign policy who formerly served as ambassador to Washington.
The talks focused on security, but trade was at the heart of tensions. Mr Trump has slapped $250 billion (8.2 trillion baht) worth of tariffs on Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of nefarious trading practices, prompting retaliatory measures.
While some of the Trump administration’s comments on China have prompted commentators to draw parallels to the Cold War, Terry Branstad, the US ambassador to Beijing, said that Washington was not seeking confrontation for its own sake.
“We want this to be a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China. The US is not trying to contain China, but we want fairness and reciprocity,” Mr Branstad told reporters on the eve of the talks.
Mr Branstad said that the talks would consist of “frank, open exchanges” on issues from human rights to the myriad maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
“We want to achieve progress on our priorities including North Korea, and China has been a very key player in helping to get North Korea to the bargaining table,” Mr Branstad said.
Mr Trump is seeking a follow-up to his landmark summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who counts on China as his main supporter.