The US and China remain at odds on many issues as Blinken finished the first day of his meetings in Beijing

Beijing (AFP) – The United States and China have failed to overcome their most serious differences, but were able to discuss them in a potentially constructive way, and agreed to continue talks, US and Chinese officials said Sunday.

US officials said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken managed, during a meeting that lasted nearly 6 hours, to secure a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Washington. But both sides said progress on the issues that divide them remains a work in progress, while China’s foreign ministry said “Sino-US relations are at the lowest point since their establishment.”

China confirmed that Chen accepted the invitation at a “mutually convenient time”, but no date has been set.

The State Department said Blinken stressed “the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation.”

Meanwhile, the Chinese have reaffirmed their position that the current state of relations “does not serve the fundamental interests of the two peoples or meet the common expectations of the international community,” according to the State Department.

Blinken, the highest-ranking US official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, will have more high-level contacts with the Chinese on Monday, potentially including with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Despite Blinken’s presence in the Chinese capital, the odds of any significant progress on the most vexing issues facing the planet’s two largest economies were slim.

Neither side has shown any inclination to back down from their long-established positions.

Blinken’s trip came on the heels of he delaying his plans to visit China in February after a Chinese observation balloon was shot down over the United States.

The talks could pave the way for a meeting in the coming months between Biden and Xi. Biden said on Saturday he hopes to be able to meet with Xi in the coming months to address the myriad of differences that divide them.

That long list includes controversies ranging from trade to Taiwan, human rights situations in China and Hong Kong to Chinese military influence in the South China Sea and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In his Sunday meetings, Blinken also pressed the Chinese to release detained US citizens and take steps to limit the production and export of fentanyl precursors that are fueling the US opioid crisis.

Blinken made clear that the United States will always stand up for the interests and values ​​of the American people and will work with its allies and partners to advance our vision of a world that is free and open and upholds the rules-based international order, the State Department said.

China’s foreign ministry responded in its statement that “China hopes the United States will adopt an objective and rational perception of China, work with China in the same direction, maintain the political foundation of Sino-US relations, and handle unexpected and sporadic incidents in China in a calm, professional and rational manner.”

Shortly before leaving Washington, Blinken stressed the importance of the United States and China establishing and maintaining better lines of communication.

Biden and Xi made pledges to improve communications “Specifically so that we can make sure that we communicate as clearly as possible to avoid any potential misunderstandings and misunderstandings,” Blinken said Friday.

Xi gave a hint of a possible willingness to reduce tensions, saying in a meeting with the co-founder of Microsoft Corp. Bill Gates on Friday that the United States and China can cooperate for the “benefit of our two countries.”

Since canceling Blinken’s trip in February, there have been some high-profile engagements. CIA chief William Burns traveled to China In May, while China’s commerce minister traveled to the United States, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with senior Chinese foreign policy advisor Wang Yi in Vienna. in May.

But those were punctuated by outbursts of angry rhetoric from both sides about the Taiwan Strait, their broader intentions in the Indo-Pacific, and China’s refusal to condemn Russia for its war against Ukraine.and US allegations from Washington that Beijing is trying to bolster global surveillance capabilitiesincluding in Cuba.

And earlier this month, China’s defense minister rejected a request from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Meeting on the sidelines of a security seminar in Singapore, a sign of continued discontent.

Underscoring the difficulties, China has dismissed a report by a US security firm, which blamed hackers linked to China For attacks on hundreds of public agencies, schools and other targets around the world, as “far-fetched and unprofessional”

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman reiterated accusations that Washington carries out hacking attacks and complained the cyber security industry rarely reports on them.

Meanwhile, the national security advisers of the United States, Japan and the Philippines said They held their first joint talks on Friday and agreed to boost their defense cooperation, in part to counter China’s growing influence and ambitions.

This coincides with the signing of an agreement by the Biden administration with Australia and Britain to supply the former with nuclear-powered submarines.with China moving quickly to expand its diplomatic presence, especially in the Indian Ocean and Pacific island nations, where it has opened or has plans to open at least five new embassies over the next year.

The agreement is part of an 18-month-old nuclear partnership with the acronym AUKUS – For Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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Associated Press writer Seung-min Kim in Washington and Huichung Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.