China’s Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, held discussions with US ambassador Nicholas Burns in Beijing on Monday. The talks were aimed at stabilizing relations between the two countries, which have been undermined by a series of “erroneous words and deeds” by the US side since Chinese President Xi Jinping met US counterpart Joe Biden in Bali last November. Qin emphasized that stabilizing relations is the top priority for both countries, and that this should be the basic consensus between them.
The talks were one of the highest-level meetings between the two countries since Washington shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the United States in early February. The incident led US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a rare trip to China. Burns and Qin discussed areas where the two countries can cooperate, such as addressing the climate crisis and improving global health.
Qin headed to Europe on Monday, where he will meet with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French counterpart Catherine Colonna, before travelling to Norway.
