Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with President Xi Jinping

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping Friday even as tensions between the two powers continue to simmer.

Secretary Blinken says the U.S.-China relationship must be responsibly managed even as he admitted the challenges that China poses to the U.S.

“I returned to China this week to take stock of where we’ve made progress and where more needs to be done so that we can deliver tangible results for the American people,” said Blinken.

Among the issues Blinken says they discussed: greater cooperation on trade and stopping fentanyl.

“The U.S. and China have set up a joint counter-narcotics working group to collaborate on policy making and on law enforcement and to share technical expertise,” he added.

Blinken warned President Xi about China’s continued support of Russia which China appears to have no interest in stopping.

“Russia would struggle to sustain its assault on Ukraine without China’s support,” he said.

Blinken’s visit is part of a greater White House strategy addressing the ongoing challenges posed by China.

Tensions have simmered for years but there are some signs of progress, like the re-opening of direct military lines between the two countries.

“Direct, open, clear lines of communication like these are critical to avoiding miscalculations,” Blinken said.

One topic Secretary Blinken did not address with President Xi is the ongoing issue of TikTok whose Chinese parent company must now sell off to keep the app running in the U.S.

Blinken telling reporters the U.S. will always put its own interests first.

“Even as we seek to deepen cooperation where our interests align, the United States is very clear eyed about the challenges posed by the PRC and about our competing visions for the future. America will always defend our core interests and values,” he said.

Blinken says they also discussed what the White House considers unfair trade practices and responsible use of AI.

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