The Chinese president Xi Jinping and its American counterpart Joe Biden saw yesterday Monday progress in the relationship between the world’s two largest economies thanks to the visit to Beijing of the head of American diplomacy Anthony Blinkenalthough deep disagreements persist.

A long-awaited sign of de-escalation: the Chinese head of state received his guest at the Palace of the People, the building where he welcomes foreign leaders, on the edge of Tiananmen Square.

“The two sides have made progress and reached consensus on specific points,” Xi Jinping said, without elaborating on what those were. He called the “progress” a “good thing,” according to Chinese state television CCTV.

“We’re on the right track,” Joe Biden said during a trip to California, saying Mr. Blinken did a “great job” in Beijing.

The US Secretary of State was received by the Chinese president on the second and last day of his visit to China. It was the first visit to Asia by any head of American diplomacy in about five years.

However, the parties made it clear that the prospects for a major reconciliation are non-existent.

According to the head of the State Department, who declared himself “lucid”, the more than 11 hours of talks he held during the two days of the visit were intended above all to restore the bilateral dialogue.

“We have made progress and moved forward,” Mr Blinken told the press, before softening: “None of the issues will be resolved in one visit.”

Another encouraging sign: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang accepted his counterpart’s invitation to visit the US. When is yet to be determined.

“Dialogue” and “conflict”

Mr. Blinken said progress was limited for now, particularly in restoring communications between the two countries’ militaries — a priority given the ongoing tensions over Taiwan.

“Direct contacts and consistent communication at the highest level are the best way to manage our differences in a responsible manner and to ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict,” the US Secretary of State told reporters.

“I heard the same thing from our Chinese counterparts. We agree on the need to stabilize our relations.”

Bilateral relations remain strained over a range of issues: from economic competition, trade, the treatment of China’s Muslim Uyghur minority to Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.

Yesterday Monday morning, Wang Yi, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top diplomatic official, told Anthony Blinken that the US must choose “between dialogue and conflict, cooperation and conflict,” according to the CCTV.

Wang Yi, who has a major role in shaping Chinese foreign policy and is hierarchically superior to Foreign Minister Qin Gang, has also strongly insisted on Chinese positions on Taiwan. “On this issue, China will make no compromises and no concessions,” he told his interlocutor.

Hard line

China considers the island of 23 million people its province, which remains to be reunited with the mainland after the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. It does not rule out using force to achieve this, if necessary.

Beijing opposes what it sees as a tightening of relations in recent years between Washington and authorities in Taipei, where a party that is outspokenly pro-independence rules.

China has so moved over the past year to large-scale military training centers around the island, especially after top US officials met with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen.

Mr Blinken said he was concerned about Chinese “challenges” in the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, however, he emphasized that his country opposes the declaration of Taipei’s independence.

The US Secretary of State also said that he referred to his concerns about the treatment of Uyghurs and Tibetans, as well as the situation in Hong Kong, where the West accuses Beijing of wide-ranging restrictions on freedom of expression.

Joe Biden is continuing the hard line against Beijing adopted by his predecessor Donald Trump. The US has notably banned exports of cutting-edge semiconductors to China.

Washington is not seeking to “hold back” Chinese economic growth, Mr Blinken assured yesterday. “But at the same time,” it is not “in our interest to give China technologies that could be used against us,” he added.

Anthony Blinken’s visit to Beijing was normally due to take place in February, but was postponed due to the intrusion of a high-altitude Chinese balloon into US airspace, with Washington calling it a spy and sending a fighter jet to shoot it down and China blaming the other side hysteria.