US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is likely to reschedule an aborted visit to China in the next few weeks, officials said on Tuesday.
Blinken had been set to travel to China in February, but canceled the trip after the US detected and shot down what it said was a Chinese espionage balloon over US soil.
However, both countries gave a positive assessment of a recent visit to Beijing by senior US officials, which included US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, who also arranged Blinken’s previously planned trip.
Photo: Reuters
A US official said on condition of anonymity that Blinken was expected to reschedule his visit to China, but added that no date had been set.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the recent talks in Beijing touched on “the potential for future visits” and were “very useful.”
US Department of State spokesman Vedant Patel said that Kritenbrink and senior White House official Sarah Beran had “candid and productive discussions” in China, but regarding Blinken’s trip said only: “We look forward to rescheduling that visit when conditions allow.”
“Our viewpoint is that there is no substitute for in-person meetings or engagements, whether they be in Washington or Beijing, to carry forward our discussion,” Patel told reporters.
Separately, Blinken yesterday was to meet officials in Saudi Arabia a day after speaking with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
Blinken was to attend a Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial meeting in the capital, Riyadh, a day after he flew into Jeddah and held talks with bin Salman, in which he raised human rights issues.
On the agenda yesterday were key regional issues, including conflicts in Yemen, Sudan, Syria and the Palestinian territories, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Majid al-Ansari said on Tuesday.
“The meeting undoubtedly constitutes an opportunity to draw a common position here in the region in relation to the United States of America and to define the form of the American positive influence in the region through partnership with the” council, al-Ansari said.
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