Chinese state media dismisses U.S. diplomat's visit to Beijing

BEIJING: A Chinese state-backed newspaper criticised the visit of a senior U.S. State Department official to China, saying his visit was motivated more by Washington's own goal to portray itself as the side seeking communication and not Beijing. The United States has been trying to create an image as a responsible country by delivering a "goodwill message" to the outside world that it has been seeking communication with China, and trying to shift the blame to China for the lack of communication or refusal to communicate, the Global Times wrote late on Sunday, citing Chinese experts.

The scathing commentary coincided with the arrival of Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink in Beijing, in a visit that the State Department said will see discussions on "key issues in the bilateral relationship" of the two superpowers. Sino-U.S. relations have sunk to new lows since U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken scrapped a planned trip to China in February after an alleged Chinese spy balloon flew through U.S. airspace.

Tensions have further worsened as both sides clashed over matters ranging from democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own, to military activities in the South China Sea. Speaking at a security summit in Singapore over the weekend, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Beijing's reluctance to talk undermined efforts to maintain peace in the region.

China's Defence Minister Li Shangfu - under U.S. sanctions since 2018 over the purchase of combat aircraft and equipment from Russia - had declined an invitation to meet Austin at the summit. Some experts have great doubts as to whether the U.S. side can inject some positive energy into bilateral relations ahead of the next U.S. presidential elections, the Global Times said.

"The U.S. has been seeking dialogue while continuing to be provocative," it reported, quoting an expert at a Chinese state think tank. "We haven't seen any positive statements from the U.S. concerning the core interests or bilateral relations." As for Kritenbrink's visit, he is not expected to give "any breakthrough performance", and his trip should only be seen as an engagement at the working level, according to the newspaper.