US-China Foreign Minister to meet face-to-face for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet for the first time since Russia's military invasion of Ukraine began on the 9th.

It is expected that they will exchange opinions on the US-China relations, the situation in Ukraine, and Taiwan.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet on the 9th in Bali, Indonesia, where the G20 = Foreign Ministers' Meeting of 20 Major Countries was held.

This is the first time the two have met face-to-face since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine began in February.

According to the US and Chinese governments, at this meeting, it is expected that they will exchange opinions on bilateral relations, and a senior US State Department official said, "We will exchange opinions on making guardrails so that competition between the two countries does not fall into confrontation."

In addition, it is expected that opinions will be exchanged over the situation in Ukraine, and the US side will re-inhibit China from providing support to Russia that leads to armament and sanctions evasion, while the Chinese side will discuss sanctions led by the United States. , "It will have an adverse effect on the world economy," and it seems that it repeatedly shows the opposite position.

In addition, opinions are expected to be exchanged regarding Taiwan.

While the conflict between the two countries continues over the US-China relations, Deputy Prime Minister Janet Yellen, who is in charge of security policy at the White House, and Janet Yellen, who oversees foreign affairs in China, met in Luxembourg last month and this month. We are trying to promote dialogue in a wide range of fields, such as online talks between Finance Secretary Janet Yellen and Deputy Prime Minister Liu He, who is in charge of politics.

* Chi = Bamboo Kanmuri with gravel.

America's aim and position

One of the aims of the United States is to re-stab China over the situation in Ukraine so that China will not support Russia.

However, senior U.S. government officials say the main purpose of the talks is to build relationships to avoid unintended conflicts between the United States and China.

The Biden administration wants to avoid sharpening the confrontation with China in addition to Russia, as it is forced to deal with domestic issues such as inflation ahead of the fall midterm elections.

On the other hand, if China's trade practices, which have been accused of being unfair, have not made progress, and if tariffs on China are reviewed on the grounds of easing inflation, it may be criticized as weak.

It is likely that the meeting will be a difficult balance, with strong opposition to China and exploring the possibility of certain cooperation and concessions in view of the domestic political situation.

China's aim and position

China has emphasized that it wants to build a stable relationship even after the confrontation with the United States deepens, saying that "the relationship between the two countries should be put on a normal trajectory."

However, we are not taking a step toward issues that we consider to be "core interests" such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In particular, Taiwan, where the United States is increasing its involvement, will be strongly urged to strictly adhere to the "One China" principle.

For China, President Xi Jinping will be the party's leader for the third term in a row, and ahead of the second half of the Communist Party Congress, a "stable environment" is a top priority not only domestically but also diplomatically.

At this meeting, as in the past, while asserting his position, it seems that he is aiming to see if he can make his relationship with the United States as positive as possible in the future.

Chinese Foreign Minister visiting Southeast Asian countries

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been visiting Southeast Asian countries from the 3rd of this month to coincide with the G20 = 20 major foreign ministers' meeting held in Bali, Indonesia.

Of these, on the 3rd of this month, I visited Myanmar, which is deepening international isolation, for the first time since the coup d'etat in February last year.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, who was appointed by the Myanmar Army as Foreign Minister, said, "The relationship between the two countries is not affected by changes in the international situation and is always solid." He expressed his hope for the early stability of the situation.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi also visited Thailand on the 5th of this month, followed by a visit to the Philippines on the 6th of this month to meet with the newly inaugurated President Marcos and talk about the issue of the South China Sea where the two countries are vying for sovereignty. He emphasized the attitude of trying to solve the problem.

In addition, Foreign Minister Wang will visit Malaysia after the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

China seems to have the aim of restraining the United States, which is strengthening its involvement in the Asian region, by strengthening relations with the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which are strengthening economic ties.