Antony Blinken lands in China to talk trade practices and Russia support

Top US diplomat is set for fraught discussions with foreign minister Wang Yi and possibly president Xi Jinping

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns about unfair trade practices as he arrived for his second state visit to China in a year in a bid to strengthen diplomacy and contain emerging flashpoints from getting out of hand.

Mr Blinken sought a “level playing field for US workers and firms operating in China” during his meeting with Chen Jining, leader of the financial hub of Shanghai, on Thursday.

Thee diplomat’s visit comes after US president Joe Biden spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on 2 April amid a potential rift over US Senate’s approval of a military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as the American government move to ban TikTok if its Chinese owner ByteDance not sell the sell within nine months to a year.

“We have an obligation for our people — indeed an obligation to the world — to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly,” Mr Blinken told Mr Chen, according to the US State Department.

Mr Blinken also "raised concerns about trade policies and non-market economic practices” of China.

Ahead of the talks, Mr Blinken watched a basketball match, took a walk in Yu Garden and spoke to students of New York University’s Shanghai campus before meeting American business owners.

Mr Blinken will tackle the most challenging part of the trip on Friday when he visits Beijing to meet foreign minister Wang Yi, and possibly president Xi Jinping.

The meetings are expected to be fraught as Mr Blinken is expected to call on China to stop its companies from retooling and resupplying Russia’s defence industrial base amid its war in Ukraine.

Antony Blinken shakes hands with Scott Walker, Consul General at the US Consulate General in Shanghai, after arriving in China (Getty)

Responding to Mr Blinken’s remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin defended Beijing’s trade practices.

"China has always been carrying out economic and trade cooperation in accordance with the principles of the market,” Mr Wang said at a press conference.

"We hope that the US side will respect the principle of fair competition, abide by WTO rules and work with China to create favourable conditions for the sound and steady development of China-US economic and trade relations," he added.

Antony Blinken and US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns attend a basketball game between the Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls (Getty)

Mr Blinken’s visit comes in the backdrop of rising tensions, fuelled in part by campaign rhetoric as the US approaches presidential election later this year.

Just last week, Mr Biden criticised Beijing as “xenophobic”, pledged to levy more tariffs on China, and initiated an investigation into the Asian nation’s ship industry.

Just as Mr Blinken landed in Shanghai, the US president signed a bill that includes $8bn for countering China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Mr Biden also signed a bill to ban TikTok in the US if its Chinese owner fails to divest the popular app over the next nine months to a year.

The Biden administration is frustrated with Beijing over its support to Russia’s defence industrial base which US officials claim is allowing Moscow to subvert western sanctions.

In this context, Russia’s foreign ministry on Thursday accused the US of driving a wedge between Russia and China.

The ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow’s relationship with China, with which it signed a “no limits” cooperation agreement less than three weeks before the start of the Ukraine war, wasn’t directed against any other country.