On Friday’s edition of NBC’s “Hallie Jackson Reports,” NBC News White House Correspondent Mike Memoli said that it’s clear the United States wants a thaw in relations with China far more than China wants a thaw and that China is “making us really come back a little bit more apologetically” after Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his trip to China after the spy balloon.
Memoli stated, “[Biden] did say…that he did expect a thaw in the relationship. But when you look at what we’re hearing from both sides at this point, even ahead of the visit, it’s pretty clear that the U.S. seems maybe more interested in that thaw than the Chinese side.”
Memoli then contrasted the readouts of the call between Blinken with his Chinese counterpart, Foreign Minister Qin Gang, from the U.S. and Chinese governments, where China accused the U.S. of meddling in Chinese affairs while the U.S. stressed the importance of communication.
He continued, “These relationships are about — especially to the Chinese side — the symbolism. And when Blinken canceled that visit after the spy balloon, that was really a slap to the Chinese and they’re making us really come back a little bit more apologetically at this point, let’s say.”
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