US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is expected to travel to Beijing for a two-day diplomatic trip, in what would be the highest level visit of a US diplomat in China over the past five years, since then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s trip in June 2018. The visit was originally scheduled for February, but was canceled due to the outbreak of the spy balloon Chinese spotted in American skies.
The objective of the visit is to hold “talks aimed at stabilizing tense relations” between the US and China, in the wake of the thaw in relations with Beijing announced by Biden during the G7 in Hiroshima. According to Reuters, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang urged, in a tense phone call preparatory to meeting with Blinken, the United States to stop meddling in Beijing’s affairs and jeopardize China’s national security.
Cover photo EPA/JIM LO SCALZO