Xi and Blinken Hold Meeting: A Recap of Tuesday’s Briefing

Xi meets with Blinken

Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, had a meeting with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as the two countries attempt to improve their strained relationship. The meeting highlights the recognition from both sides of the high stakes involved in their rivalry.

Xi’s decision to meet with Blinken indicates his discomfort with the escalating tensions. He started the 35-minute meeting on a positive note, acknowledging progress made on certain issues during Blinken’s visit to China.

“This is very good,” Xi said. However, he also expressed his hope for Blinken to contribute positively towards stabilizing China-U.S. relations, hinting at his grievances.

Blinken, the first American secretary of state to visit Beijing since 2018, emphasized the need for direct engagement and constant communication at senior levels. He urged China to establish a military-to-military communication channel, which the U.S. believes is crucial for preventing crises in China’s surrounding seas and airspace.

The meeting between Blinken and Xi may pave the way for a future meeting between Xi and President Biden. However, it remains uncertain whether high-level diplomacy can alter the course of their relationship.

Differences: Both countries made it clear that they were not willing to compromise on key issues such as Taiwan, Chinese military expansion, advanced technology development, Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and human rights.

China’s perspective: Beijing may be feeling pressure to stabilize relations due to its deteriorating economy. Xi may also be motivated to improve the relationship in order to present himself as a global statesman.

Other diplomatic news: Germany and China will resume government consultations after a three-year pause caused by the pandemic.

A Russian assassination attempt

In 2020, Russia made an assassination attempt on a C.I.A. informant within the United States, crossing a previously avoided line. This failed plot signaled a bold expansion of President Vladimir Putin’s targeted assassination campaign and led to the expulsion of the respective heads of the C.I.A. and Russia’s intelligence agency in Washington and Moscow.

The informant, Aleksandr Poteyev, had previously served as a Russian intelligence official. His disclosure of information resulted in a long-lasting F.B.I. investigation that exposed 11 deep-cover Russian spies living on the East Coast in 2010. Ten of these spies were arrested and expelled by the U.S.

Putin had long vowed to retaliate against Poteyev, who was resettled in Miami by the C.I.A. under a program aimed at protecting former spies. Russia coerced a Mexican scientist to locate Poteyev, but the operation was botched, leading to the scientist’s arrest and the revelation of the plan to U.S. investigators.

Other Russia and Ukraine news:

• Russia’s opposition leader, Aleksei Navalny, is now facing new extremism charges that could result in an additional 30 years in prison for him.

• Ukraine has received donations of arms from other countries, but many of these weapons are in such poor condition that they can only be used for spare parts. Additionally, Ukraine has paid hundreds of millions of dollars for undelivered weapons.

New Zealand’s housing crash

The housing markets around the world were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but New Zealand experienced one of the most significant fluctuations. The country entered a recession last week.

During the pandemic, house prices in New Zealand soared by almost 50 percent as individuals took advantage of low mortgage rates and relaxed lending regulations. However, in November 2021, the central bank introduced one of the most aggressive cycles of rate-tightening globally to combat rising inflation.

Since then, prices have dropped by 17.5 percent, resulting in a loss of over $6 billion in household wealth, according to some estimations.

Background: New Zealand has traditionally faced a shortage of housing and low-quality housing. The country’s homes are among the least affordable in the world.

Politics: The housing crisis is a key issue ahead of the upcoming national elections in New Zealand. Calls for addressing the problem grew more urgent after major storms and flooding caused significant damage to thousands of homes on the North Island in February.

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