Blinken’s Beijing Bonanza: 5 Trivia Tidbits from the Historic Visit

In the world of diplomacy, where every handshake is scrutinized, and every word is weighed, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s Beijing visit on June 19, 2023, was a veritable goldmine of trivia. So buckle up, trivia buffs! We’re about to take a trivia rollercoaster ride through international diplomacy, complete with spy balloons and marathon meetings.

1. The Great Hall of the People: Not Just for Heads of State Anymore

Blinken’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping took place in the Great Hall of the People. This is a venue usually reserved for greeting heads of state. But hey, who’s counting? The meeting lasted for a whopping 35 minutes, during which both Blinken and Xi Jinping managed to express satisfaction with the progress made during the talks. They stressed the importance of having a more stable relationship because, let’s face it, a conflict between the world’s two largest economies would be a real party pooper.

2. The Seven-Hour Saga: Blinken vs. Qin Gang

In a feat of diplomatic endurance, Blinken held talks with China’s foreign minister, Qin Gang, for more than seven hours. That’s longer than the director’s cut of “The Godfather”! Despite the marathon meeting, China refused to resume military-to-military communication channels, citing US sanctions as an obstacle.

3. The Controversial Cocktail: Taiwan, Human Rights, and Spy Activities

The discussions also covered a cocktail of contentious issues such as Taiwan, human rights, North Korea’s provocations, and US concerns about Beijing’s intelligence activities in Cuba. It’s like a diplomatic version of “Choose your fighter”!

4. The Diplomatic Domino Effect: Blinken’s Visit as a Gateway

Blinken’s visit could pave the way for more diplomatic engagement between the US and China. This could include possible trips by other US officials and a potential meeting between Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden later in the year.

5. The Spy Balloon Saga: A Weather Balloon or a Spy Device?

Blinken’s trip was initially planned for February but postponed due to controversy involving a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over US airspace. Whether it was a weather balloon that lost its way or a spy device on a secret mission, we may never know. However, a day after the top US diplomat visited Beijing, US President Joe Biden said that “the reason why Xi Jinping got very upset in terms of when I shot that balloon down with two box cars full of spy equipment in it was he didn’t know it was there,” Biden said at a fundraiser in California. “That’s a great embarrassment for dictators,” he added.

News Quiz Time: US-China Relations Quiz

Now that you know all the facts about Blinken’s Beijing Visit, how about a news quiz?

China-US relations Quiz

5 Multiple-choice general knowledge questions about the recent diplomatic stress between China and the US. No time-limit. How smart are you today?

1 / 5

1. Who did China’s president Xi Jinping meet on his first trip outside China since COVID began?

Screenshot: CCTV via South China Morning Post

Joe Biden.

King Charles III.

Vladimir Putin.

Anthony Fauci.

China’s president Xi Jinping left China for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 14, 2022, for a trip to Central Asia’s Kazakhstan to meet with Russia’s president Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand.

2 / 5

2. Which of these happened just hours before TikTok’s CEO told Congress that China didn’t influence his company?

Screenshot: C-Span – YouTube

He met with Chinese officials at a secret location.

China’s commerce ministry announced it opposes a TikTok sale.

TikTok announced a feature allowing China to monitor user activity.

China declared that TikTok was a front for Chinese espionage.

China’s commerce ministry declared it opposed a TikTok sale just hours before Shou Zi Chew, TikTok’s CEO, testified before Congress about TikTok’s ties to China on March 23, 2023.

What was his testimony about?

During the five-hour testimony, Republican and Democratic lawmakers repeatedly asked Chew if TikTok was spying on Americans on behalf of the Chinese government, which he strongly denied. Chew also said that ByteDance is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government – a notion undermined by China’s commerce ministry’s earlier statement.

3 / 5

3. Which island nation was once known as Formosa and is now home to this fierce Formosan black bear?

Screenshot: TaiwanPlus News – YouTube

Taiwan.

Sri Lanka.

Madagascar.

Poohland.

Taiwan is an island nation in East Asia that was formerly called Formosa by Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. The Formosan black bear is an endangered subspecies of black bears native to Taiwan and is seen as a symbol of Taiwanese identity.

Why is it beating Pooh?

A patch depicting a Formosan black bear holding Taiwan’s flag and punching Winnie-the-Pooh, representing China’s president Xi Jinping, has become viral online as a defiant gesture against China’s military drills around Taiwan in April 2023. Winnie-the-Pooh is often used as an internet meme to mock Xi Jinping and is censored in China.

4 / 5

4. What does Aukus stand for?

Photo: The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Austria-UK-Uruguay Solidarity.

Australia-Ukraine-Uzbekistan.

Australia-UK-US.

All Underwater Kangaroos United.

Aukus is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK, and the US, announced in September 2021. Under the pact, the US and the UK will assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines. The pact also includes advanced cyber, artificial intelligence, and quantum-related technologies. The alliance is a reaction to China’s growing influence and assertiveness in the region.

Are the submarines heading down under?

On March 13, 2023, the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and the US president, Joe Biden, announced the Aukus submarine deal details in San Diego. The deal involves Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines from the US and UK over several decades and US and UK submarines visiting Australian ports more frequently. China isn’t happy, and several reports suggest it may propose an anti-Aukus military alliance with Russia and Iran.

5 / 5

5. What kind of device was shot down over the Atlantic by the US in Feb. 2023?

Screenshot: Jonathan Snyder / LSM

A civilian airship.

A Chinese balloon.

A US military balloon.

A flying saucer.

US military officials notified the Biden administration of a “high-altitude surveillance balloon” flying over Montana on Feb. 4, 2023. According to the Pentagon, China launched the balloon to collect military information, but China called it a “mainly meteorological balloon.”

When was the Chinese balloon shot down?

On Feb. 5, President Biden stated he gave orders to shoot down the balloon but was advised to wait until it reached the safest position. Later that day, an F-22 fighter jet destroyed it with an air-to-air missile over the Atlantic Ocean. US officials said the balloon’s entry violated US sovereignty and international law. Pentagon officials said the administration planned to collect debris for intelligence gathering.

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Sources

We cross-checked our Blinken’s Beijing Visit trivia facts with the world’s most trusted news providers. Here are the articles we read for this post.

• AP News: Blinken and Xi Jinping pledge to stabilize the deteriorating ties between the US and China
• The New York Times: Blinken Meets Xi as China, and the US, Try to Ease Tensions
• Reuters: Xi, Blinken agree to stabilize US-China relations in rare Beijing talks
• Reuters: Biden calls Chinese President Xi a dictator
• The Guardian: Antony Blinken and Xi Jinping Hold ‘Candid’ Talks in Beijing