Chinese Foreign Minister Set To Visit US On Oct 26 As Both Sides Aim To 'Responsibly Manage' Fraught Relations
Beijing is sending Wang Yi to Washington for high-level talks that will aim to 'responsibly manage' their fraught situation. This comes amid the news of a possible meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is set to visit Washington on Thursday for high-level talks as the two countries try to 'responsibly manage' their fraught situation. The Chinese Foreign Minister's trip is being seen as a path for a potential meeting between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco which is slated to take place next month, reported news agency PTI.
This potential meeting would be Xi's first trip to the US since April 2017.
According to a press release from the US state department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host the Director of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang in Washington from Thursday to Saturday.
The release read, "Secretary Blinken and Director Wang will discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship and to maintain open channels of communication."
The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing said that Wang will be having in-depth exchanges of views with US high-level officials on bilateral relations along with regional and international issues of shared interests. The Ministry added that he will also expound on China's principled position and legitimate concerns on bilateral relations, as reported by PTI.
The spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, while talking to the media said, "We hope that the US will work with China to follow through on the important common understandings between the two heads of state, enhance communication and dialogue, expand practical cooperation, properly manage differences and jointly bring the bilateral relations back to the track of sound and steady development."
According to US media reports, Wang is also expected to meet US national security Adviser Jake Sullivan during his visit.
Earlier on October 14, Blinken spoke with Wang and urged China to use its relationships with the Middle East countries to stop the conflict in Israel from spreading. Blinken also emphasised the importance of discouraging other parties from entering the conflict, reported PTI.
The relationship between Washington and Beijing has been strained due to an escalating trade spat since early 2018 which has resulted in both nations raising import tariffs on each other's goods.
This visit of the Chinese diplomat comes amid US lawmakers asking China to iron out differences in trade and economic ties between the world's two largest economies. It also comes amid the US reiterating its commitment to defend the Philippines in the event of an armed attack, as stated in a 1951 treaty. This statement followed a recent incident in which Chinese ships blocked and collided with two Filipino vessels near Second Thomas Shoal.
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