The U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is scheduled to visit Beijing this weekend to engage in discussions aimed at strengthening the world’s most significant bilateral relationship.
According to sources, Blinken will be holding meetings in China on June 18-19 and may have the opportunity to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This visit marks a significant milestone as Blinken will be the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit China since President Biden took office in January 2021.
The discussions will focus on enhancing cooperation between the two nations and addressing areas of concern.
In a pre-trip briefing on Wednesday, U.S. officials said they have no expectation the trip will yield a breakthrough in how the U.S. and China deal with each other.
They however expect the visit to pave the way for more bilateral meetings in the coming months, including possible trips by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
While Blinken’s main goal will be “candid, direct and constructive” discussions, the U.S. officials said, breakthroughs are not likely on any major issues, including the flow of fentanyl precursors and Americans detained in China.
“Beijing agreed to the visit because it seems to be the one thing that is blocking many other things, such as working-level dialogues and the visits by other cabinet members,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.
The visit, which could set the stage for a flurry of other diplomatic engagements including a meeting between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden later in the year, would show that the two rivals have not given up on diplomacy.
Bilateral ties have deteriorated across the board, raising concerns that their rivalry could veer into conflict over Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
The United States and China are also at odds over issues ranging from trade and microchips to human rights.
Particularly worrisome for China’s neighbors has been its reluctance to allow regular military-to-military talks between Beijing and Washington, despite repeated U.S. attempts.
U.S. officials says that setting up crisis communication channels to reduce risk was a top priority.
U.N spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said “Anything that would lead to greater cooperation, greater dialogue and a lessening of tensions between Beijing and Washington is to be welcomed.
