US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit China next week

According to the statement, Blinken will meet with Chinese officials in Shanghai and Beijing to discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the crisis in the Middle East, Russia's war against Ukraine, cross-strait issues, and the South China Sea.

In a statement, the US Department of State stated, "The Secretary will also discuss ongoing work to fulfill the commitments made by Presidents Biden and Xi at the Woodside Summit in November on resuming counternarcotics cooperation, military-to-military communication, artificial intelligence, and strengthening people-to-people ties, and will reiterate the importance of the United States and the PRC responsibly managing competition, even in areas where our two countries disagree."

his visit to China, Blinken will be accompanied by Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Liz Allen, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Todd Robinson, and Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nathaniel Fick.For

While speaking to reporters, a senior State Department official said, "The Secretary's visit will, of course, build on our intensive diplomacy over the past year to responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship by strengthening lines of communication to reduce the risk of miscalculation and conflict." During his visit, Blinken will discuss the crisis in Burma and reaffirm the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Speaking about Blinken's goals for the visit to China, a senior State Department official said, "First, making progress on key issues. We believe that high-level diplomacy allows for us to press for progress on issues that matter to the American people and the world and where direct engagement with the PRC is particularly important."

A senior State Department official said, "The Secretary will clearly and directly communicate U.S. concerns on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues. As he always does, he will stand up and speak out for our values and our interests."

"The Secretary will raise clearly and candidly our concerns on issues ranging from human rights, unfair economic and trade practices, to the global economic consequences of PRC industrial over-capacity. The Secretary will also reiterate our deep concerns regarding the PRC's support for Russia's defense industrial base. He will discuss the crisis in the Middle East, and of course, the Secretary will discuss challenges in the Indo-Pacific, including PRC provocations in the South China Sea, as well as the DPRK's threatening rhetoric and reckless actions," the official added.

The official stated that Blinken will make it clear that the US intends to "responsibly" manage its competition with China.

The senior official added, "We believe that intense competition requires intense diplomacy on a range of issues, and in-depth, face-to-face diplomacy is particularly important to managing tensions endemic to strategic competition between two major powers. As we continue to take actions to protect our interests and values, we'll maintain open channels of communication to clearly communicate our positions and policies so as to, again, prevent misperception or miscalculation."

Blinken's trip to Beijing follows US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit to China earlier this month. In November last year, US President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Conference in San Francisco.

According to the White House readout of the meeting, Biden raised concerns over China's human rights abuses, including in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. He emphasised that it remains a priority to resolve the cases of US nationals who have been wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China. (ANI)