Blinken's diplomatic dance in China

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China for whirlwind discussions with the People's Republic political grandees in Shanghai and Beijing with the hope of "Stabilising the relationship" between both countries. So into the Beijing/Washington political turbulence, Mr Blinken flew to smooth the Sino-American political rivalry, especially over China's military assertiveness towards the South China Sea, Taiwan, the Ukraine war, and naturally two-way trade. Among the key concerns "Shared by a growing number of countries" remains China's "Provocative actions to the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the South and East China Seas." Mr Bliken stated. Commercial ties between the US/PRC are huge but still massively favour China through longstanding trade deficits with the US While American exports to China have importantly increased, the trade imbalance last year still reached a whopping $279 billion. A point Mr Blinken made to sceptical Chinese trade officials was to clarify the US stance towards China, namely that the US is not seeking to "Contain" China economically. Turning to the war in Ukraine, Mr Blinken warned his Chinese counterparts over "Our serious concern about the PRC providing components that are powering Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. China is the top supplier of machine tools, microelectronics, nitrocellulose, which is critical to making munitions and rocket propellants, and other dual-use items". Mr Wang told Mr Blinken that the United States should respect China's "Red lines", namely the PRC's territorial claim over democratic Taiwan as well as "Introducing measures to contain China".