Top China envoy and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet in Washington ahead of Taiwan elections

A top Chinese Communist Party envoy met senior US officials at the State Department in Washington, hours before voters in Taiwan elect their next leader and government as the two sides seek to restore dialogue and stabilise ties.

Liu Jianchao, who leads the CCP’s diplomatic arm, joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in closed-door discussions on Friday morning as part of his ongoing American visit to promote what he described as “common understanding” on contentious issues.

Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the US, also attended the meeting, as did US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for China and Taiwan Mark Lambert.

Neither side has yet to issue a statement concerning what the officials discussed.

The meeting on Friday came at highly sensitive time for both countries as they wait to see how voters in self-ruled Taiwan cast their ballots for a new president and parliament on Saturday.

The high-level diplomatic talks also coincided with a delicate moment in Sino-American relations, with both sides of late eager to make headway in what had been a deteriorating trajectory.

Since taking office, US President Joe Biden on multiple occasions has said America would defend Taiwan if mainland China were to try to invade.

Yet in recent months Biden has sought to stabilise ties with Beijing, without ceasing actions that hobble China’s technology advances on fears of inadvertently empowering the People’s Liberation Army.

Beijing hits out over Washington’s plan to send unofficial delegation to Taiwan

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Like most countries, the US does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state.

But Washington maintains robust unofficial ties with Taipei, opposes any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons – positions that anger Beijing.

Bilateral tensions have risen amid what Washington describes as Beijing’s military aggression in the Taiwan Strait. In the run-up to the polls, the island has reported spotting Chinese aircraft and balloons crossing the sensitive median line.

Why does Taiwan matter so much to both mainland China and the US?

Liu on Thursday “stated China’s positions on issues like Taiwan” at a meeting with US deputy national security adviser Jonathan Finer, according to a Chinese readout.

Still, communication between the world’s two largest economies has improved after Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in San Francisco in November.

This week Chinese and American officials held their first formal talks at the Pentagon since 2021. Next week senior officials from both countries are slated to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

South China Morning Post