Foreign
CHINA’S top foreign policy official Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met in Beijing on Monday, the second day of Blinken’s official visit to China.
Wang ranks above China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing’s power hierarchy.
Blinken’s visit is the first by a US secretary of state to China since 2018, and it comes amid heightened tensions between the rival powers.
On Sunday, Blinken spoke with Qin for seven and a half hours much longer than planned.
During their meeting, Blinken reiterated that the U.S. pursues a “vision for a world that is free, open and upholds the international rules-based order.’’
The U.S. secretary of state also invited Qin to Washington.
Both sides said the talks had been frank and constructive.
There is speculation that Blinken could meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later on Monday, but so far there has been no confirmation from Beijing.
If the meeting materialised, it would be seen as a special gesture by the Beijing government.
During his first visit to China as the U.S. top diplomat, Blinken has addressed a number of contentious issues, but also areas in which Beijing and Washington could cooperate, the U.S. State Department said.
The U.S. and China have one of the world’s most important bilateral relationships.
Those ties have been severely strained by a raft of issues, including China’s backing of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The threats from Beijing against Taiwan and ongoing trade disputes in areas like advanced computer chips. (dpa/NAN)
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Tags: Antony Blinken Qin Gang Wang Yi
