Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited a Beijing record store as he completed a three-day trip to China, where he purchased albums by Taylor Swift and a classic Chinese rock star.
“It’s wonderful, thank you,” Blinken told owner Yuxuan Zhou during his visit to the Li-Pi record store. “I could probably stay here for hours.”
Blinken has called music his greatest passion. He plays guitar and has even appeared at State Department events.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks with Yuxuan Zhou during visit to Li-Pi record store
Secretary of State Antony Blinken purchased Taylor Swift’s Midnights album
Blinken played in a local Washington DC band called Cash Bar Wedding.
During his short visit to the store, the owner played Blinken a record by Dou Wei, a Chinese musician, singer-songwriter and composer and Chinese rock star.
Blinken praised the sound, then wandered around the store, picking up Taylor Swift’s “Midnights.”
“Our greatest export,” he said of the singer-songwriter.
Midnights is Swift’s tenth studio album. It was released in October 2022.
Blinken purchased both Swift’s album and Dou Wei’s album.
There was an awkward moment when the Secretary of State didn’t have the proper app to make a purchase in China. An aide paid for the albums and Blinken promised to reimburse him.
The secretary of state told Rolling Stone that he owned six or seven guitars and that music was “the passion that drives my life.” And I continue to find joy in it, whether it’s playing a little or listening a lot.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called music his greatest passion
Blinken was wrapping up a three-day trip to China, which included a sensitive meeting with President Xi Jinping.
The visit brought little progress on controversial issues, including China’s support for Russia in Ukraine, tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea, and U.S. complaints about Chinese exports. cheap.
During his meeting with the Chinese leader, Blinken stressed the importance of “responsibly managing” disputes between the United States and China.
Blinken said he raised concerns with Xi about China’s support for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as other issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, human rights man and the production and export of synthetic opioid precursors.
He welcomed recent progress in bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of military communications, counter-narcotics and artificial intelligence, on which both sides agreed to begin a dialogue on how to reduce the risks associated with this rapidly emerging technology.
Blinken arrived in China on Wednesday, visiting Shanghai shortly before Biden signed the $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements likely to anger Beijing, including $8 billion to counter the growing aggressiveness of China towards Taiwan and in the South China Sea.
It also seeks to force TikTok’s parent company, based in China, to sell the social media platform.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns examine a disk during a visit to the Li-Pi disk store in Beijing.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) speaks with Yuxuan Zhou about music
Secretary of State Antony Blinken performs a Muddy Waters song during a celebration marking the launch of the Music Diplomatic Initiative in September 2023.
China and the United States are the main players in the Indo-Pacific region. Washington is increasingly alarmed by Beijing’s growing aggressiveness in recent years toward Taiwan and its smaller Southeast Asian neighbors with whom it has major territorial and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
China denounced US aid to Taiwan and immediately condemned the aid as a dangerous provocation. He also strongly opposes efforts to force the sale of TikTok, although Blinken said that issue did not come up during his discussions on Friday.
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