US-China Foreign Ministers Meeting... Will Xi Jinping Visit the US for the First Time in 6 Years?

King Emphasizes "Prevent Misunderstandings and Cooperate Through Dialogue"
Blinken "Very Much Looking Forward to Constructive Dialogue"

On the 26th (local time), the foreign ministers of the United States and China held talks in Washington D.C. to discuss bilateral relations and other current issues. Attention is focused on whether the meeting will lead to coordination of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the U.S. and a summit with U.S. President Joe Biden.

On that day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister, met at the State Department building and spoke to reporters about the direction and significance of the talks. In his opening remarks, Secretary Blinken said, "I very much look forward to constructive dialogue with Minister Wang over the next two days."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister Wang said, "There are differences between China and the U.S., but at the same time, there are important common interests," adding, "Therefore, we must engage in dialogue and cooperation." He emphasized, "Both sides should not only resume dialogue but also engage in deep and comprehensive discussions. Through dialogue, we can foster mutual understanding, prevent misunderstandings and miscalculations, and continuously pursue mutually beneficial cooperation, thereby steering bilateral relations onto a healthy, stable, and sustainable development track."

The two are expected to discuss holding a U.S.-China summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November 11-17 in San Francisco. However, they did not comment on this matter in front of reporters that day. Earlier, on the 6th, U.S. President Joe Biden stated during a White House press briefing that there is "a possibility" of a U.S.-China summit in November.

If President Xi visits the U.S. for this APEC summit, it would be his first visit to the U.S. in six and a half years since April 2017. The two leaders met last November at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, but relations rapidly cooled afterward due to the reconnaissance balloon incident.

The two sides are also expected to exchange views on U.S. export controls on semiconductors to China, China's export controls on critical minerals, and issues related to Taiwan and North Korea. They likely also expressed their positions and sought to reconcile differences regarding the Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, no public statements about the wars were made to reporters during this meeting.

Minister Wang is scheduled to meet Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, on the 27th. The two have also met in Vienna, Austria, in May and Malta in September.

There is also a strong possibility that Wang will pay a courtesy call on President Biden on the same day. Secretary Blinken, who visited China in June, also held talks with President Xi Jinping. However, Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, did not confirm or deny related questions at a regular press briefing the day before, saying only, "Regarding Minister Wang Yi's visit to the U.S., information will be released in due course, so please stay tuned."

Meanwhile, prior to this, since June, the U.S. government has sent high-level officials such as Secretary Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to China in succession to open channels for dialogue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.