Current:Home > ScamsBlinken says military communication with China still a "work in progress" after Xi meeting-InfoLens
Blinken says military communication with China still a "work in progress" after Xi meeting
View Date:2024-12-23 11:21:02
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was no breakthrough on resuming military-to-military communication with China following two days of meetings in Beijing with Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, with the secretary saying the effort is still a "work in progress."
Blinken's visit to the country was aimed at relieving tensions and finding areas of agreement between the two countries. In an interview with Blinken in the Chinese capital, "Face the Nation" moderator and CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Brennan asked Blinken if Xi just said "no" to opening a direct line of contact between the two militaries. China shut down military-to-military communication after the U.S. downed a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the U.S. earlier this year.
Blinken said the two sides are "going to keep working" on an agreement to reopen those lines of communication to avoid an accidental conflict.
"It's a work in progress," Blinken told Brennan. "This is something that we need to do in the interests of both of our countries, that is, not only to establish and reestablish and strengthen lines of communication across our government — which we have done, starting with this trip, and I believe visits to follow by a number of my colleagues, and then Chinese officials coming to the United States. Hugely important if we're going to responsibly manage the relationship, if we're going to communicate clearly and try to avoid the competition that we have veering into conflict. But an aspect of that that really is important is military-to-military. We don't have an agreement on that yet. It's something we're going to keep working."
The secretary said he made it "very clear" to his Chinese counterparts that military-to-military communication is also in their interest.
"We both agree that we want to, at the very least, make sure that we don't inadvertently have a conflict because of miscommunication, because of misunderstanding," Blinken said.
Blinken's trip to China was the first of a secretary of state since 2018, and was aimed at cooling tensions that have flared up over the past several months, most notably in the wake of the spy balloon incident. The secretary told reporters that both sides "agree on the need to stabilize our relationship" but deep divisions still remain on a number of issues.
Standing beside Xi, Blinken said President Biden sent him to Beijing "because he believes that the United States and China have an obligation and responsibility to manage our relationship. The United States is committed to doing that. It's in the interest of the United States, in the interests of China, and in the interest of the world."
Kathryn WatsonKathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.
veryGood! (739)
Related
- Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
- Hilary Duff announces she's pregnant with baby No. 4: 'Buckle up buttercups'
- 'This is completely serious': MoonPie launches ad campaign targeting extraterrestrials
- Five whales came to a Connecticut aquarium in 2021. Three have now died
- SNL's Chloe Fineman Says Rude Elon Musk Made Her Burst Into Tears as Show Host
- Quarter of world's freshwater fish species at risk of extinction, researchers warn
- Live Your Best Life With Kourtney Kardashian Barker’s 12 Days of Pooshmas Holiday Mailer
- Leaders of Guyana and Venezuela to meet this week as region worries over their territorial dispute
- Cold case arrest: Florida man being held in decades-old Massachusetts double murder
- Fed expected to stand pat on interest rates but forecast just two cuts in 2024: Economists
Ranking
- Ex-Marine misused a combat technique in fatal chokehold of NYC subway rider, trainer testifies
- Wall Street calls them 'the Magnificent 7': They're the reason why stocks are surging
- New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is sworn in with his government
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert out for remainder of season with fractured index finger
- Dave Coulier Says He's OK If This Is the End Amid Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Battle
- Man arrested in Washington state after detective made false statements gets $225,000 settlement
- US to spend $700M on new embassy in Ireland, breaks ground on new embassy in Saudi Arabia
- Fed expected to stand pat on interest rates but forecast just two cuts in 2024: Economists
Recommendation
-
Patricia Heaton criticizes media, 'extremists' she says 'fear-mongered' in 2024 election
-
Former Iowa deputy pleads guilty in hot-vehicle death of police dog
-
White House open to new border expulsion law, mandatory detention and increased deportations in talks with Congress
-
Indhu Rubasingham named as first woman to lead Britain’s National Theatre
-
Indiana in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings? You've got to be kidding
-
Delta passengers stranded at remote military base after flight diverted to Canada
-
Argentina devalues its currency and cuts subsidies as part of shock economic measures
-
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Stars Honor Their Captain Andre Braugher After His Death