2023-06-19 08:03:45
6/19/2023-|Last update: 6/19/202309:31 AM (Mecca Time)
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met Monday morning in Beijing with Director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Office and Chinese diplomats Wang Yi, on the second and final day of his visit aimed at improving strained relations between the United States and China.
The two officials met at the “Diaoyutai” state guesthouse in Beijing, and briefly exchanged pleasantries before entering a closed meeting.
Yesterday, Sunday, Blinken – who is the highest-ranking US official to visit Beijing in nearly 5 years – spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, for 7.5 hours.
The US State Department said that Blinken held frank, objective and constructive talks yesterday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart, Chen Gang.
She pointed out that the US Secretary stressed the importance of diplomacy and maintaining channels of communication with China, to reduce the risks of misunderstandings and miscalculations.
The US State Department confirmed that Blinken raised issues of concern, as well as opportunities for cooperation on common issues with China.
It also reported that Blinken’s meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing will continue today, Monday, and that the US minister invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Washington to complete the discussions.
The two sides announced that Foreign Minister Qin Gang agreed to visit Washington later.
For his part, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that relations between Beijing and Washington are at their lowest level since 1979.
During his meeting with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken, Chen affirmed China’s commitment to building a stable and constructive relationship with the United States.
He expressed clear concerns regarding China’s major interests, including the Taiwan issue, stressing that Taiwan is the most important and influential issue in Sino-US relations.
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