U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will journey to Beijing subsequent week, Reuters and the Related Press reported Friday, as america seeks to shore up strained ties with China.
Each Reuters and AP mentioned Blinken can be in Beijing on June 18, subsequent Sunday, citing nameless American officers. AP mentioned he would meet with International Minister Qin Gang and probably President Xi Jinping.
State Division officers wouldn’t affirm the reported plans.
In February, Blinken abruptly canceled a visit to Beijing simply hours earlier than he was set to depart Washington after officers mentioned a Chinese language spy balloon was discovered floating over america. China insisted it was a climate balloon that strayed off track.
Since then, an unofficial journey by Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to New York and Los Angeles in March has additional infected ties.
Relations between the world’s two main powers have been tense since August, when then-Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan to the protests of Beijing, which regards the democratic island as a renegade province and has vowed to reunite it with the mainland.
There has additionally been an uptick in near-miss accidents between the 2 international locations’ militaries up to now two weeks within the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, with the Pentagon accusing China’s navy and air pressure of harmful maneuvering in entrance of American vessels.
