ARE TAKING YOU LIVE TO BEIJING

AND SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY

BLINKEN IS SPEAKING FOLLOWING

HIS MEETING WITH CHINESE

PRESIDENT XI JINPING .

>> OVER THE PAST 2.5 YEARS, THE

UNITED STATES HAS TAKEN STEPS

BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD AND

STANDING AROUND THE WORLD

MAKING INVESTMENTS IN

INFRASTRUCTURE, TECHNOLOGY,

INDUSTRIAL CAPACITY, AND HAVE

DEEPENED OUR ALIGNMENT WITH

PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD IN

WAYS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN

UNIMAGINABLE A FEW YEARS AGO.

THIS IS THE BACKDROP FOR THE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE STATES

AND THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF

CHINA. BOTH THE UNITED STATES

AND CHINA HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO

MANAGE THIS RELATIONSHIP

RESPONSIBLY TO SERVE THE BEST

INTEREST OF THE UNITED STATES

AND CHINA AND FOR THE WORLD BUT

WE ARE CLEAR ABOUT THE

CHALLENGES POSED BY THE PRC .

WE SHARE A FREE AND OPEN AND

PROSPEROUS WORLD WITH COUNTRIES

UPHOLDING THE ORDER THAT HAS

SAFEGUARDED SECURITY GLOBALLY.

TO SHAPE THAT FUTURE, WE START

WITH DIPLOMACY. I CAME TO

BEIJING TO STRENGTHEN

COMMUNICATION AND MAKE CLEAR

OUR INTENTIONS AND AREAS OF

DISAGREEMENT AND EXPLORE AREAS

WHERE WE MIGHT WORK TOGETHER ON

SHARED CHALLENGES, AND WE DID

ALL OF THAT.

BEIJING I HAD AN IMPORTANT

CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT XI

JINPING AND CONSTRUCTIVE

DISCUSSIONS WITH MY COUNTERPARTS

. I APPRECIATE THE HOSPITALITY.

I STRESS THAT SUSTAINED

COMMUNICATIONS IS THE BEST WAY

TO MANAGE DIFFERENCES AND I

HEARD THE SAME FROM MY CHINESE

COUNTERPARTS. WE BOTH AGREE ON

THE NEED TO STABILIZE OUR

RELATIONSHIP.

WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT

CHALLENGES THAT INCLUDES THE

RUSSIA WAR OF AGGRESSION

AGAINST UKRAINE.

WE WOULD WELCOME CHINA PLAYING

A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE TO WORK

TOWARD A JUST PEACE BUT WE ALSO

SPOKE ABOUT NORTH KOREA'S

ACTIONS . ALL MEMBERS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF AND

INTEREST IN ENCOURAGING THEM TO

ACT RESPONSIBLY AND START

ENGAGING. CHINA IS IN A UNIQUE

POSITION TO ENCOURAGE GANGING

TO STOP DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR AND

RAISED CONCERNS SHARED BY A

GROWING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES

ABOUT THE ACTIONS OF THE PRC AT

THE SEAS REITERATING THE ONE

CHINA POLICY. WE DO NOT SUPPORT

TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE AND

CONTINUE TO EXPECT THE PEACEFUL

RESOLUTION OF DIFFERENCES IN

COMMITTED TO MEETING OUR

RESPONSIBILITIES, INCLUDING

MAKING SURE THAT TAIWAN HAS THE

ABILITY TO DEFEND ITSELF AND

ALSO SPOKE ABOUT ISSUES

INCLUDING CONTINUING TO DEVELOP

PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE OUR

RELATIONSHIP AS DISCUSSED BY

PRESIDENT BIDEN AND PRESIDENT

XI JINPING LAST YEAR IN BALI.

DURING MY MEETING TODAY WITH

BUSINESS LEADERS WHO ARE

OPERATING IN CHINA, I HEARD

ABOUT THE PROBLEMS UNITED

STATES BUSINESSES ARE FACING. I

ALSO HEARD THAT UNITED STATES

COMPANIES WANT TO CONTINUE AND

GROW THEIR BUSINESSES HERE. I

SOUGHT TO CLARIFY

MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT OUR

APPROACH. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE

FOR THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER

COUNTRIES BETWEEN DERISKING AND

DECOUPLING.

WE HAVE TRADED $700 BILLION

AND IT BENEFITS THE UNITED

STATES AND CHINA AND IT WOULD

BE DISASTROUS FOR US TO STOP

ALL TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH

CHINA. WE ARE FOR DERISKING

AND DIVERSIFYING. THIS MEANS

INVESTING IN RESILIENT SUPPLY

CHAINS AND PROTECTING CRITICAL

TECHNOLOGIES SO THAT THEY ARE

NOT USED AGAINST US AND WE WILL

CONTINUE TO TAKE ACTIONS

NECESSARY. ALSO DISCUSSED HUMAN

RIGHTS.

UNITED STATES AND THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REMAIN

CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS

VIOLATIONS. I ALSO RAISE

WRONGFULLY DETAINED U.S.

CITIZENS AND THERE IS NOT A

HIGHER PRIORITY FOR ME THAN THE

SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF

CITIZENS OVERSEEN. AS WE WORK

TO ADDRESS OUR DIFFERENCES, THE

UNITED STATES IS PREPARED TO

WORK WITH CHINA IN AREAS WHERE

WE HAVE MUTUAL INTEREST

INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH, FOOD

SECURITY, AND WE BELIEVE CHINA

CAN ALLEVIATE GLOBAL FOOD

INSECURITY. IT IS FACILITATING

THE EXPORT OF 32 MILLION TONS

OF GRAIN FROM UKRAINE WITH 18

MILLION TONS TO DEVELOP NEW

COUNTRIES.

IT IS CRITICAL FOR AVOIDING FOOD

SHORTAGES AND I RAISED AS A

PRIORITY THE ISSUE OF SYNTHETIC

OPIOIDS AND FENTANYL, A CRISIS

IN THE UNITED STATES. WE NEED

MUCH GREATER COOPERATION AND

AGREED TO EXPLORE SETTING UP A

WORKING GROUP TO SHUT OFF THE

FLOW OF CHEMICALS THAT FUELED

THE CRISIS. FINALLY, WE

DISCUSSED THE IMPORTANCE OF

STRENGTHENING PEOPLE TO PEOPLE

EXCHANGES AND OUR RELATIONSHIP.

TODAY I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO

MEET WITH ALUMNI FROM THE

EXCHANGE PROGRAMS AND WE

DISCUSSED ENHANCING EXCHANGES

AND WORKING TO INCREASE DIRECT

FLIGHTS BETWEEN THEIR

COUNTRIES.

CONTINUED DIALOGUE ON THESE AND

OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES. I

INVITED THE STATE COUNSELOR TO

VISIT WASHINGTON, AND HE AGREED

TO COME. LATER THIS EVENING I

LEAVE FOR LONDON TO ATTEND THE

UKRAINE RECOVERY CONTRACT AND

CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN

ALIGNMENT. WE HAVE NO ILLUSIONS

ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING

THIS RELATIONSHIP.

WE WILL ALWAYS ADVANCE THE

INTEREST OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

. THE UNITED STATES HAS A LONG

HISTORY OF MANAGING

CONSEQUENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS

THROUGH DIPLOMACY. IT IS THE

RESPONSIBILITY OF BOTH

COUNTRIES TO FIND A PATH FORWARD

.

>> WE WILL TAKE A FEW QUESTIONS.

>> CHINA HAS ACCUSED THE UNITED

STATES OF ECONOMIC CONTAINMENT.

>> WE HAVE JUST BEEN LISTENING

TO SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY

BLINKEN . AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE

SECRETARY HAS BEEN SPENDING THE

LAST COUPLE OF DAYS MEETING

WITH OFFICIALS IN CHINA,

INCLUDING PRESIDENT XI JINPING

. I WOULD LIKE TO BRING IN CBS

NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

ELIZABETH PALMER BUT HE SAID IT

IS TO MAKE SURE COMPETITION IS

NOT GOING TO CONFLICT AND WE

HEARD HIM LISTING A SERIES OF

AREAS WHERE THERE IS

COMPETITION AND CONFLICT BUT

ALSO AREAS WHERE THERE IS A

SHARED INTEREST.

>> Reporter: THAT IS RIGHT .

CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES ARE

BOTH VERY INFLUENTIAL AND THEY

ARE LINKED BY BILLIONS AND

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TRADE. I

THINK IT WAS THE CHINESE

FOREIGN MINISTER THAT SAID

RELATIONS HAD REACHED THE

LOWEST POINT SINCE THEY WERE

FIRST ESTABLISHED. I THINK OF

PARTICULAR CONCERN TO THE CHINA

ALLIES AND PARTNERS IS THAT THE

UNITED STATES AND CHINA HAD EVEN

STOPPED TALKING TO EACH OTHER

DESPITE THE FACT THEY WERE BOTH

USING BIG WEAPONS AROUND TAIWAN

IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. IN ORDER TO

MANAGE THIS RELATIONSHIP, IT IS

ESSENTIAL THAT THERE SHOULD BE

DIRECT COMMUNICATION. WHAT WE

SEE HERE IS RE-ESTABLISHING

THIS DIRECT COMMUNICATION. THE

GREAT TRIUMPH OF THIS IS THAT

SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY

BLINKEN IS IN CHINA AND SPOKE

TO THE TOP OFFICIALS AND SPOKE

HIMSELF TO PRESIDENT XI JINPING

AND THAT MEANS DIALOGUE IS

BACK UNDERWAY.

>> WE WERE TOLD THIS IS ABOUT

JUST KEEP IN COMMUNICATION ALL

AND I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING

WHEN HE WAS LISTING OFF THE

AREAS THEY SPOKE ABOUT THE

CHINA ROLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL

STAGE WHEN IT COMES TO CONFLICT

AND OF COURSE TAIWAN. I SUSPECT

THIS IS ALSO AN AREA THAT CHINA

HAS BEEN WORKING TO ESTABLISH A

IS A COUNTRY OF INFLUENCE

AROUND THE WORLD AND MAYBE EVEN

A COUNTRY THAT CAN BE

INSTRUMENTAL TO BRING SOME OF

THESE CONFLICTS TO AN END, LIKE

THE ONE IN UKRAINE.

>> Reporter: YES . SECRETARY

OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN GAVE A

TIP OF THE HAD TO CHINA FOR ITS

SUPPORT OF THE BLACK SEA GRAIN

INITIATIVE.

THERE IS TALK ABOUT CHINA NOT

SUPPORTING RUSSIA. THE UNITED

STATES WOULD LIKE CHINA TO TELL

RUSSIA THAT IT IS OUT OF LINE

IN UKRAINE AND IT SHOULD GET

OUT, SO BEHIND THE SCENES I AM

SURE THAT PRESSURE IS THERE.

CHINA DOES WANT TO BE SEEN AS

AN INTERNATIONAL FORCE FOR

PEACEMAKING AND IT LENDS A LOT

OF MONEY TO DEVELOPING

COUNTRIES IN ORDER TO GAIN

INFLUENCE.

THE TASK WILL BE TO HAVE CHINA

JOIN THE GOOD ACTORS AND BE A

NET FORCE FOR GOOD IN THE WORLD

. WE WILL SEE HOW THAT GOES.

JUST TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IT

AND PRESENT DIPLOMATIC CASES

FOR THE CHINESE HOW THEY MIGHT

BE BETTER MEMBERS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS KEY.

>> WE WILL REMIND EVERYONE THIS

WAS A MEETING POSTPONED BECAUSE

OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE CHINESE

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