(Politics): U.S. Secretary of State Meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday

An official with the U.S. Department of State confirmed that Blinken would meet with Xi. The meeting comes amid soaring tensions between the United States and China, fueling concerns that the two counties could break out into conflict.

"State-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. I hope that Secretary Blinken, through this visit, could make positive contribution to stabilizing China-U.S. relations," Xi said in opening remarks to Blinken before their closed-door meeting at the Great Hall of the People, according to Chinese state media.

Both sides expressed willingness to hold more talks during the 35-minute session. It remains to be seen whether they can resolve their most pressing problems. Xi and Blinken agreed to return to the agenda of "common understandings" that the Chinese leader and U.S. President Joe Biden had reached during a meeting in Bali last year, according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Those commitments have been put at risk in recent months, especially after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that was flying over American airspace in February.

Xi also emphasized that both countries must respect each other's interests and not "try to shape the other side by its own will, still less deprive the other side of its legitimate right to development," according to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, Blinken "made clear that while we will compete vigorously, the United States will responsibly manage that competition so that the relationship does not veer into conflict," according to the State Department.

Blinken raised a number of concerns during his meeting with Xi, including the wrongful detention or exit bans of U.S. citizens in China, human rights conditions in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, and Chinese intelligence activities in Cuba. The two also discussed a range of global issues, such as Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's escalating military provocations. 

Blinken emphasized that the U.S. "will always stand up for our values" and "will work with its allies and partners to advance our vision for a world that is free, open, and upholds the rules-based international order," according to the State Department.

This meeting will open further understanding and discussions between the two countries that have being on each other’s throat for a while now.

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