China's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, is set to visit Washington to pave the way for a meeting between the two nations' leaders.
Wang will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan this week. The diplomatic trip is expected to pave the way for a meeting between United States President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping amid rising tensions.
Wang Yi's Visit to Washington
The Chinese diplomat's trip to the United States will last from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28 and is expected to focus more on discussions of a potential Biden-Xi meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The event will be held next month in San Francisco and comes as the two world leaders last met on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 economies in Bali, Indonesia, last November.
The Biden administration has not yet announced a meeting between the president and the Chinese foreign minister. However, senior administration officials described Wang's visit as "reciprocal" to Blinken's visit to Beijing in June when the latter met with Xi, as per NBC News.
Additionally, Wang's visit to Washington comes as the Biden administration focuses on the Middle East and the threat of escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict through Iranian proxies. China's relationship with Tehran prompted Blinken to call the foreign minister earlier this month.
The Secretary of State asked China to use its influence to prevent the conflict from widening even further. A State Department readout of the call noted that Blinken discussed "maintaining stability in the region and discouraging other parties from entering the conflict."
Relations between the two largest economies in the world have fallen to what Beijing described as their lowest point since diplomatic relations were established in 1979. The situation was caused by a range of issues, including trade, technology, human rights, the status of Taiwan, and China's stance on the war in Ukraine.
Read Also: Philippines to China: Stop 'Dangerous,' 'Offensive' Actions in South China Sea
US-China Relations
According to Reuters, One administration official said that direct face-to-face diplomacy is still the best way to raise challenging issues, address misperception and miscommunication, and explore working with the Chinese where interests intersect.
The diplomatic talks would also include discussions about territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. US officials said Washington was deeply concerned by China's "destabilizing and dangerous actions" in the South China Sea.
On Monday, the Philippines accused Chinese coast guard vessels of "intentionally" colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission. The incident is the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal.
One official also said that keeping relations open is crucial to managing the two nations' relationship and their competition responsibly. He added that it would also help minimize the risk of miscalculation that could veer the two sides into conflict.
He said there have been some sporadic engagements between the United States and China's defense establishments in the last few months. However, he stressed the need for a sustained mil-mil dialogue and the communication channels, said CNN.
