US-China relations: Antony Blinken calls for level playing field for business and hits out at ‘non-market practices’
- Secretary of State raised concerns in meeting with Shanghai party chief Chen Jining, but also said direct engagement between the two sides is a ‘necessity’
- Washington has floated the possibility of placing more tariffs on Chinese goods such as electric vehicles to prevent them ‘flooding’ the market and undercutting US firms
In a meeting with Shanghai party chief Chen Jining on Thursday morning, Blinken opened by saying: “It’s important to underscore the value – in fact, the necessity – of direct engagement, of sustained engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out our differences which are real, seeking to work through them, and also looking for ways to build cooperation where we can.
Blinken’s visit, his second to the country in the space of 12 months, comes as the United States and China are stepping up official contacts in an effort to stop relations deteriorating further due to their ongoing disputes over issues such as trade and Taiwan.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said after the meeting: “In a constructive and candid exchange, [Blinken] raised concerns about PRC [People’s Republic of China] trade policies and non-market economic practices and stressed that the United States seeks a healthy economic competition with the PRC and a level playing field for US workers and firms operating in China.”
