WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that his upcoming trip to Beijing aims to open up better communications “by avoiding miscalculations and removing misperceptions.”
The US top diplomat said, “Intense competition needs sustained diplomacy to guarantee that competition does not turn into conflict or confrontation,”.
US-China ties
“That is what the international community expects of both Washington and Beijing,” he added.
AFP reported that Blinken will hold meetings Sunday and Monday in China on the first visit by a top US envoy in nearly five years.
The visit was rescheduled after Washington canceled a planned Beijing trip by Blinken in February after the US said it detected and shot down a suspected Chinese balloon.
The first target of the visit to Beijing, the US Secretary of State said in a news conference, is “to establish and open communications, so that the two sides responsibly manage our relations.”
Secondly, Blinken said, the aim was to set the record clear on Washington interests and values, and thirdly to explore sectors of cooperation like economic stability, climate change, health and fighting drug trafficking affecting the globe.
Blinken said that he would also raise the matter of American nationals detained by China. Beijing has detained several US nationals on various charges, including Kai Li, a businessman accused of spying in 2016, and David Lin, a US cleric held since 2006.
