US Secretary of State Blinken to visit China

Blinken's visit comes at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

BEIJING:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China from April 24 to 26, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin announced on Monday.

Blinken will visit the country at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee

The official noted that Secretary Blinken's visit is part of the efforts by China and the United States to implement the common understandings reached by the two presidents at their meeting in San Francisco, to maintain dialogue, manage differences, advance cooperation and strengthen coordination on international affairs.

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The two sides have been in communication regarding the visit. In the phone call between the two presidents on April 2, President Joe Biden told President Xi Jinping that the United States will send Secretary Blinken to China.

On the eve of this year, President Xi exchanged congratulatory letters with President Biden on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

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On March 27, President Xi met with representatives of the US business, strategic and academic communities. On April 2, President Xi spoke with President Biden on the phone at the request of the latter. Under the strategic guidance of the two presidents, China-US relations started to stabilise.

The official said that the Chinese side always views and handles its relations with the United States in accordance with the three fundamental principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

Regarding China-US relations in 2024, the official added that the Chinese side will follow three overarching principles: peace must be valued, stability must be prioritised, and credibility must be upheld.

The diplomatic teams of the two sides will continue their discussions on the guiding principles of China-US relations based on the seven-point common understandings already reached, i.e. both countries treating each other with respect and finding a way to live alongside each other peacefully, maintaining open lines of communication, preventing conflict, upholding the UN Charter, cooperating in areas of shared interests, and responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship.