Between the spy balloon, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and other tensions, a Sino-American meeting seemed uncertain. And yet, it is now done.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday. The talks are taking place behind closed doors at Diaoyutai, the Chinese government’s state villa.
Arriving in the Chinese capital on Sunday, the whisperer of Joe Biden is the first American secretary of state to come to the Asian country in nearly five years. He first met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, with whom he had “frank, substantial and constructive” talks, according to his department.
The number three of the American government notably underlined “the importance of diplomacy and of maintaining open channels of communication on all issues in order to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation”.
Qin Gang is the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs, while Wang Yi, the main official in charge of diplomatic issues within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), retains the upper hand in China’s foreign policy.
The US Secretary of State could also meet President Xi Jinping on Monday, before a press conference scheduled for the end of the day.
This article is originally published on watson.ch
