U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, who is the Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Communist Party (also serving as the Foreign Minister), in Beijing and Shanghai from the 24th to the 26th, the State Department announced on the 20th (local time).
The State Department conveyed that during his visit, Secretary Blinken will discuss various bilateral, regional, and international issues, including the Middle East crisis, the Russia-Ukraine war, cross-strait relations (between China and Taiwan), and the South China Sea.
In addition, the Department explained that they will discuss ongoing cooperation to implement the agreements on counter-narcotics cooperation, resumption of military dialogue, artificial intelligence (AI), and strengthening of human relations reached at the summit between President Joe Biden of the United States and President Xi Jinping of China near San Francisco last November 15. They will also reaffirm the importance of managing competition responsibly, including areas where the two countries disagree.
A senior State Department official stated in an online briefing yesterday that the primary purposes of this visit to China are to advance significant issues, clearly and directly convey concerns over bilateral, regional, and international issues, and responsibly manage competition.
The official said that Secretary Blinken will raise U.S. concerns again about China’s support for Russia’s defense industry base, human rights violations, and unfair economic and trade practices and will discuss the situation in the Middle East.
Furthermore, the official explained that Secretary Blinken will discuss challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including China’s provocations in the South China Sea, North Korea’s threatening language and reckless behavior, and reaffirm the importance of peace and stability throughout the Taiwan Strait.
Secretary Blinken, who met President Xi and Director Wang in Beijing last June, followed by talks with Director Wang in Jakarta, Indonesia, during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers meeting in July of the same year.
Later, Director Wang visited Washington D.C. at the end of October last year and met President Biden following his meeting with Secretary Blinken.
Earlier, President Biden and President Xi had a phone call on the 2nd, reaffirming their stance on managing bilateral relations through high-level diplomacy and working-level consultations. Shortly after, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen visited China. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun had a video conference on the 16th, resuming military dialogue between the two countries for the first time in 17 months.
Secretary Blinken, who met President Xi and Director Wang in Beijing last June, followed by talks with Director Wang in Jakarta, Indonesia, during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers meeting in July of the same year.
Later, Director Wang visited Washington D.C. at the end of October last year and met President Biden following his meeting with Secretary Blinken.
Earlier, President Biden and President Xi had a phone call on the 2nd, reaffirming their stance on managing bilateral relations through high-level diplomacy and working-level consultations. Shortly after, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen visited China. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun had a video conference on the 16th, resuming military dialogue between the two countries for the first time in 17 months.
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