(Bloomberg) – The U.S. and China came to Germany last weekend to mend a new rift created by the riot over a Chinese balloon. But a meeting of their top diplomats showed how difficult it will be to find compromises.
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Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and China’s State Councilor Wang Yi traded barbs on everything from a balloon and Taiwan to North Korea and Russia in their first meeting since the high-rise ship traversed the US, provoking a bitter round of finger-pointing. The top US diplomat also said China was weighing whether to give Russia weapons for its war in Ukraine, a move that would further escalate tensions.
All of this underscored that despite all the claims made by President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping about their desire to cement ties, neither side seems able to do so. What was supposed to pave the way for a Blinken trip to Beijing – he canceled a visit after the balloon was spotted – only seemed to make the prospects further away. And while Biden said last week he would speak to Xi to ease tensions, there was no indication of when that might happen.
“The relationship is becoming increasingly fragile,” said Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, who previously worked at the US State Department and the Pentagon. “If China reflects to Russia the aid that the West is providing to Ukraine, it will cement the Russo-Chinese alliance and also the Western perception of China as a malevolent international force.”
The rest of the world is watching. Leaders from countries like Brazil and Singapore have warned of the military and economic fallout of an ongoing clash between the world’s two largest economies – and expressed their unwillingness to choose between them.
Blinken tried to offer reassurances, saying the US was “not looking for a new Cold War” after Wang said the “Cold War mentality was back”.
The bumpy meeting and the harsh rhetoric around it showed how sour US-China relations are and how both sides seem willing to bicker over trifles. In its reading of the talks, China even refused to call a meeting, calling it “informal contact” and arguing that the two only spoke because the US had made a request.
In line with an aggressive counter-message campaign carried out by the government ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Blinken quickly conducted interviews with Sunday morning programs at home. He made sure Americans who turned on their TVs Sunday morning heard the warning of the growing partnership between Russia and China.
“We are very concerned that China is considering deadly support for Russia in its aggression against Ukraine,” Blinken told NBC’s Meet the Press. “And I made it clear that doing so would have serious consequences for our relationship.”
China’s Wang dismissed what he called US “pointing the finger” on Russia, saying China will release a new peace proposal on Ukraine in the coming days that would match Xi’s previous efforts. Wang, who was due to fly to Moscow after his stay in Munich to meet with senior Russian officials, also met with Ukraine’s foreign minister and condemned the attacks on nuclear power plants.
“We oppose attacks on nuclear power plants and civilian nuclear facilities,” Wang said. “We must work to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear disasters.”
“Almost Hysterical”
But the US seemed in no mood to consider that plan, especially given its accusation of China’s deepening ties with Russia. For months, the United States had warned China not to give more support to President Vladimir Putin.
What the world has heard from Blinken about China’s role “underscores that we really need to step up our diplomatic game,” said Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, on CBS’s Face the Nation. “Many other countries just don’t believe there is such a big problem as we see with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Blinken was caught earlier Saturday after Wang lashed out at the US during a speech, describing Biden’s decision to shoot down the balloon over American airspace and the elevated state of alert as “incomprehensible and almost hysterical.”
The US said the balloon over the US was part of a fleet of spy devices run by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. China countered that the craft was a harmless weather balloon that went off course and claimed the US had flown similar airships over China – claims the White House has denied.
‘Better than nothing’
It’s unclear whether the recent spat on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference represented a healthy vent they can now overcome, or another signal that the US and China are stuck in a cycle of allegations that will only bring them closer conflicts.
There are areas where both sides would benefit from working together, such as on climate change and nuclear proliferation.
In a selection from the meeting, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Blinken had condemned North Korea’s launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile “and stressed the need for responsible powers to respond to such significant international challenges” – diplomatic language for the US demand on China exert its influence and curb such launches.
“A meeting is always better than nothing,” said Henry Wang Huiyao, founder of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based policy research group. “Both sides seemed tough – they both have home crowds to cater to.”
–With support from Jing Li.
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