= It was confirmed that high-ranking diplomatic officials from the United States and China met in Washington, D.C., on the 27th (local time).
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a briefing on the 28th that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Crittenbrink and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong met at the State Department the previous day.
“The two sides had frank, in-depth and constructive discussions on issues in the region as part of our continued efforts to maintain open lines of communication,” Miller said. “This follows Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s visit to Beijing in June.” “This is one of many follow-up talks currently taking place.”
This high-level meeting between the U.S. and China is attracting attention as it takes place at a time when the possibility of a summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping is being raised on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in San Francisco in November.
Accordingly, at the meeting between the two the previous day, discussions regarding President Xi’s attendance at APEC and the US-China summit are expected to have taken place.
Previously, U.S. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Political Bureau and director of the Foreign Affairs Office) met in Malta in the Mediterranean Sea on the 16th and 17th.
In this regard, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing sources, reported that the United States and China are discussing a visit to Washington DC by China’s diplomatic commander, Vice Premier Wang, and China’s Vice Premier of the State Council, Heifeng, who serves as the commander in the economic and trade sectors.
In particular, if Deputy Prime Minister Heo’s visit goes through, he is expected to become the highest-ranking Chinese figure to visit the United States after President Biden takes office, the WSJ reported.
Director Wang is pursuing a plan to visit the United States in October to prepare for the U.S.-China summit.
The WSJ analyzed that China’s economic and diplomatic leader’s visit to the United States is advancing the momentum for dialogue that the U.S. and China have been trying to create after months of widespread tension, and is increasing the possibility of President Xi’s attendance at the APEC summit in November.
President Biden and President Xi held their first face-to-face summit on the occasion of the G20 summit held in Bali, Indonesia in November last year.
Although the two countries had a brief cooling off due to China’s reconnaissance balloon incident in February of this year, four high-ranking U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, climate special envoy John Kerry, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Lermondo, continued to support China. Efforts have been made to improve relations, including visiting.
Recently, China has also hinted at the possibility of President Xi visiting the United States.
At a press conference held in Beijing, China on the 26th, Director Wang said regarding the possibility of President Xi attending the APEC summit, “China is a responsible country, and we have never been absent from any important multilateral meeting in which China participates.” “We are maintaining communication with each side regarding the APEC schedule and will formally announce news at the appropriate time,” he said.
Director Wang continued, “We realize that the United States, like other parties, must demonstrate the openness, fairness, inclusiveness and responsibility it deserves as a host country, and we look forward to creating better conditions for the smooth conduct of the conference.” .
(Washington = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.