Blinken met Qin on Jun 18, on the first visit by America’s top diplomat to China in five years. The U.S. State Department said then they held “candid, substantive, and constructive” talks, and Blinken invited Qin to Washington to continue discussions.
Blinken met Wang, 69, who served as foreign minister from 2013-2022, in July on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Jakarta in Qin’s absence.
On Thursday, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters that it was “willing to maintain communications” with the United States on a possible future visit by Wang to Washington but did not elaborate further.
Blinken indicated Washington expected Beijing to respond positively to the invite, noting that after his visit, other members of the Biden administration such as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Climate Envoy John Kerry had also traveled to China.
“We fully expect Chinese counterparts to come to the United States,” Blinken said. “There is an obligation that both the United States and China responsibly manage this relationship and that starts with talking.”
Source: CNA
