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The perception the US intends to “contain” China “economically and globally” was a “lengthy part of the discussions” when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Chinese counterparts in Beijing, he said on Wednesday.
Holding back China was counter to US interests, Blinken said, adding that he told his hosts in Beijing that “if you actually look at what’s happening, and what’s happened, the facts belie that assertion”.
Blinken described export controls and sanctions on Chinese individuals and companies as “very targeted” but contended, it’s not in the interests of the US to allow China to gain access to some critical technology.
He characterised the competition with China as “intense”, “long-term” and without a “clear finish line”. The purpose of his Beijing trip was to “start to build back sustained lines of communication” since “this is more about getting to a place where we have a peaceful and maybe somewhat more productive coexistence”.