Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing, which was previously delayed due to the appearance of spy balloons, may take place as early as next week. This may be the first time since former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit in 2018 that a similar level of visit has taken place.
According to one of the sources familiar with the matter, the US Secretary of State may arrive in the Asian country after his current trip to the Middle East, but the plans are still in progress, so neither the US State Department nor the Chinese embassy. In Washington confirmed it. The Chinese embassy spokesman said only that China is open to dialogue with the United States.
If the trip goes ahead, Blinken could face sharp criticism from Republicans, especially in light of press reports Thursday that China will establish an intelligence center in Cuba. However, both the United States and Cuba have denied the truth of these allegations Politico in his report.
The Biden administration recently attempted to ease tensions with China after relations nearly collapsed in the wake of the balloon scandal in February.
In May, CIA Director William Burns paid a secret visit to the country, and at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Joe Biden spoke of his expectations for an improvement in US-China relations.
This week, Daniel Kreitenberg, Deputy Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and NSC Director for China and Taiwan Sarah Biran visited China, the purpose of their visit being to keep communication channels open and to discuss the next-level visits, he said, on Tuesday, national security spokesman John Kirby.
China’s foreign ministry has publicly criticized the Biden administration’s efforts in recent weeks, citing US restrictions on high-tech exports, US arms sales to Taiwan and efforts by the Group of Seven to become less dependent on China.
After Biden’s remarks on improving relations, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao visited the United States and met with his US counterpart Gina Raimondo and Trade Representative Catherine Tai. But Beijing rejected Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s request for talks with his Chinese counterpart Li Sang-fu.
