China’s top diplomat to visit US
BEIJING (AFP) — China’s top diplomat will visit the United States this week, becoming the highest-level Chinese official to make the trip since US President Donald Trump was elected.
State Councilor Yang Jiechi will meet with senior American officials today and Wednesday to discuss “bilateral ties and issues of common concern,” the foreign ministry announced late Sunday.
US-China relations have been strained by Trump’s criticisms of Beijing’s handling of North Korea and its trade policies as well as his questioning of Washington’s long-standing “One China” policy.
The official Xinhua news agency confirmed Yang will be the first senior Chinese official to visit the US since Trump took office.
At the top of the agenda will be the arrangements for a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies told Xinhua.
It remains unclear when the two leaders will have their first encounter, said Tao Wenzhao, an expert on Sino-US relations at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
He said it would be important for both countries to first address some of the issues that have divided them.
“On this visit, it’s important for the two sides to move forward their communication,” he told AFP.
They “will carry out a wide-ranging discussion on various global problems and form a consensus. On that basis, the two countries’ leaders can meet.”