Xi Jinping Reluctant To Engage In Talks Amid Washington's Push For 'Constructive Diplomacy,' Says US

A top White House official said China has been reluctant to engage in discussion amid the U.S. push for "constructive diplomacy."

What Happened: The U.S. Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said Washington had been pushing to have another call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping but has yet to receive a positive response from the Chinese side. 

Campbell — stressing the need for “Cold War”-era hotlines and other crisis mechanisms — said efforts to build a floor under heightened tensions are yet to be successful and coming months will determine if it is possible to reestablish constructive diplomacy with Beijing.

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“We’re prepared and, from our perspective, we want to keep lines of communication open and it is our intention to keep those lines open,” he said at an event hosted by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank. 

The U.S. official said the Chinese administration had been “reluctant to engage in discussions around confidence-building or crisis communications, or hotlines” and it would be a “responsible step” to have such mechanisms. 

“We built those during the Cold War. We think that they’re appropriate now,” he added.

Campbell said Washington was in the early stages of a new phase of competitive relations with Beijing.

“I think you will see in the coming months whether it’s going to be possible to reestablish effective, predictable, constructive diplomacy between the United States and China."

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