US-China top diplomats meet in Jakarta, seeking fence mending

As US and China have increased their top-level bilateral engagement in an attempt to normalise strained ties, Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi met with the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations' (ASEAN) foreign ministers' huddle in Jakarta and talked on wide-ranging issues for hours.  

The bilateral talks were regarded as "candid and productive", and come a month after the top US-China officials met in Beijing when Blinken was on his state visit.

Wang, a main policy official of the Chinese Communist Party, attended the meeting in place of Chinese Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, who could not attend the meeting citing health reasons.

The normalisation efforts have been ongoing between the world's largest economies for months as the ties were constantly on the downslide.

"There were no breakthroughs from the meeting in Jakarta," a State Department official said, but "that wasn't the intention."

The meeting, which lasted for an hour and a half — was a follow-up to previous talks held in the Chinese capital, and the two top diplomats “were able to pick up where they left off, and then take the conversations to the next level of detail,” the US State Department spokesperson told the press.

During the discussions, Blinken and Wang discussed areas of difference and potential cooperation between the two nations, including maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, promoting a free and rules-based international order, and addressing the global flow of synthetic drugs, particularly fentanyl. 

Other important issues discussed were the recent US government email hack, detentions of US citizens in China, and the war in Ukraine.

While top military communication channels remain stalled, both sides emphasised the importance of open communication for addressing concerns.

Miller stated that Blinken and Wang discussed "areas of difference and potential areas of cooperation."

"The Secretary used the meeting to advance US interests and values, to directly raise concerns shared by the United States and allies and partners regarding PRC actions, and advocate for progress on transnational challenges that affect people in the US, the PRC, and around the world," Miller said.

"Blinken emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and made clear to Wang that the US, together with our allies and partners, will advance our vision for a free, open, and rules-based international order," Miller noted.

Wang told Blinken the "critical next step" for China and the US is to "take real actions to put the bilateral relationship back on the right track," according to a readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"He urged the US to take a rational and pragmatic approach, expand diplomatic and security communications with China and promote people-to-people exchanges."

"The US must refrain from wantonly interfering in China’s internal affairs, refrain from compromising China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, stop suppressing China’s economy, trade and technology, and lift illegal and unreasonable sanctions against China," Wang said, according to the readout.

Their meeting comes days after US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen underscored the importance of clear and direct communication between the US and China, saying that the two countries have significant disagreements that must be addressed.

Yellen's remarks came after 10 hours of bilateral meetings with senior Chinese officials at the conclusion of her four-day trip to Beijing.

Despite acknowledging the differences, Yellen stressed that President Joe Biden and herself do not view the relationship as a great power conflict, believing that both countries can thrive in the world together.

"The US and China have significant disagreements," Yellen told reporters, addressing a press conference at the US embassy in Beijing.