Reuters-US China agree to work toward an expected Biden-Xi summit
October 28, 2023 4 min 772 words
这篇报道描述了美国和中国就拟定于下个月举行的拜登和习近平总统峰会达成一致。这次峰会对于缓解两国之间的紧张关系非常重要，尤其在经济竞争和政策分歧问题上的紧张。报道中提到，双方高级外交官进行了数小时的会谈，讨论了一系列议题，包括军事渠道的恢复、中国在东中国海和南中国海的行动、台湾问题、人权、芬太尼原料的流动以及在中国被扣押的美国人的案件。 这篇报道还提到，中美之间似乎在预期的亚太经济合作组织（APEC）峰会上举行习近平和拜登会面的可能性上取得了一些积极的进展。而美国政府认为，直接领导层之间的接触对于管理紧张关系至关重要，以避免进一步升级冲突。 此外，报道还提到了中美之间的一些政治分歧，尤其是在中东地区，以色列与哈马斯的冲突对两国之间的紧张关系产生了新的影响。美国希望中国能够利用其对伊朗的影响来阻止中东冲突升级为更广泛的战争。然而，中国在这一问题上的承诺尚不明确。 总的来说，这篇报道反映了中美之间的外交努力，以解决双方之间的问题，包括经济竞争、地缘政治争端和地区冲突。这次峰会对于减少紧张关系和促进合作非常关键，但仍需进一步观察双方的实际行动。
The United States and China have agreed to work together toward an expected summit between presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping next month, U.S. officials said on Friday, following hours of meetings between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and senior U.S. diplomats in Washington.
In the first visit by a Chinese Foreign Minister to Washington since 2018, veteran diplomat Wang Yi also met Biden for an hour, talks that the White House described as a "good opportunity" in keeping lines of communication open between the two geopolitical rivals which have deep policy differences.
Wang's meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan spanning over two days totaled nine hours, U.S. officials said, describing these interactions as "candid and in-depth".
Biden's top aides raised Washington's key concerns: the need to restore military-to-military channels between the two countries, Beijing's actions in the East and South China Sea, Taiwan, human rights, the flow of fentanyl precursors and the cases of Americans detained in China, U.S. officials said.
There were also "frank exchanges" between Blinken and Wang over the erupting conflict in the Middle East.
The key area that appeared to show some positive momentum was toward an expected meeting between Biden and Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next month in San Francisco.
"We are making preparations for such a meeting," a senior administration officials, briefing reporters on the condition of anonymity, said. "Obviously, Chinese leaders often confirm publicly much closer to a trip, so I will leave it to the Chinese side to figure out if and when they make that announcement," the official said.
The Biden administration has seen direct leader-level engagement with Xi as particularly important in managing tensions as it sought to prevent relations, also severely strained by intense economic competition and disagreements on a host of issues, from veering into conflict.
"A big part of a potential meeting would be the two leaders sitting down together and having those conversations on strategic intent," the official said.
On Thursday, Wang told Blinken that the two countries have disagreements and need "in-depth" and "comprehensive" dialogue to reduce misunderstandings and stabilize ties. "Not only should we resume dialogue, the dialogue should be in-depth and comprehensive," Wang said.
Wang's three-day visit follows a flurry of bilateral diplomatic engagements in recent months, largely at U.S. request, aimed at salvaging what were rapidly deteriorating ties early in the year following the U.S. downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon.
But some in Washington have questioned whether a slate of mostly unreciprocated U.S. Cabinet-level official visits to Beijing over the past six months, including by Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, played into Beijing's hand.
The trips by Yellen and Raimondo led to new bilateral economic and commercial working groups, which critics worry will only pull U.S. focus away from - and possibly delay - sanctions, export controls and broader measures intended to enhance U.S. competition with China.
U.S. officials have maintained that increased diplomacy does not mean a let up in policy.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has added a fresh dynamic to the testy relationship between the superpowers, and Washington is hoping Beijing can use its influence with Iran to prevent an escalation into a wider war in the Middle East.
U.S. officials said the issue came up frequently during Wang's meetings but it was unclear whether Washington was able to get Beijing on board to commit to using its influence in the Middle East, particularly with Iran, to help contain the conflict.
"We expressed our deep concern with the situation and pressed China to take a more constructive approach, and that would include, of course, their engagements with the Iranians, to urge calm," one of the senior administration officials said.
China has condemned violence and attacks on civilians in the conflict, and while Wang has declared Israel's actions "beyond the scope of self-defence" he has not named Hamas in his comments.
The second senior administration official said Blinken raised U.S. concerns about China’s recent actions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, including its “dangerous and unlawful obstruction” of the Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea and its unsafe intercept of a U.S. aircraft.