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US, China achieved progress in relations, but one visit not to solve all issues — Blinken

It is noted that the issue of restoration of direct communication channels between the military was raised, but Beijing did not agree to that

BEIJGIN, June 19. /TASS/. The US and Chania achieved progress in bilateral relations and made a "positive step" in this direction, but the current visit will not solve all problems, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference in Beijing Monday.

"Progress is hard. It takes time and it's not the product of one visit," he said. "My hope and expectation is we will have better communication going forward. That's not going to solve every problem between us, but it is critical to responsibly managing the relationship," he said, adding that the US and China made a positive step in this direction in the last few days.

He also mentioned that he raised the issue of restoration of direct communication channels between the military, but Beijing did not agree to that.

"At this moment, China has not agreed to move forward with that," Blinken said, adding that he considers the availability of such channels vitally important, as evidenced by recent incidents in airspace and at sea.

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China United States Antony Blinken

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