US Secretary of State Blinken to travel to China
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to travel to Shanghai and Beijing next week in an attempt to ease tensions and stabilize relations between the United States and China, which have been strained for months.
The talks, which are to take place from Wednesday to Friday, are aimed at "strengthening lines of communication [and reducing] the risk of miscalculation and conflict," a senior US State Department official in Washington said.
"[Blinken] will raise clearly and candidly our concerns on issues ranging from human rights, unfair economic and trade practices to the global economic consequences of [China's] industrial over capacity ... our deep concerns regarding [China's] support for Russia's defence industrial base," the official said.
The signs between the US and China are pointing towards détente, he said.
In November, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in California after a year of complete radio silence. This was followed by talks between members of both governments at the highest level.
Earlier this month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen travelled to China to meet with representatives of US companies and the Chinese government.
The official said that the US and China are in a much different situation than a year ago, when bilateral relations were at an all-time low.
