The US State Department says it has formally invited China’s newly reappointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Washington, after Mr Wang’s predecessor was abruptly removed from his post by Beijing.
Key points:
- Washington did not say if Beijing had accepted the invitation but added that this was Washington’s expectation
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Qin Gang on June 18
- Mr Qin was suddenly replaced by his predecessor Wang Yi last week
China reappointed veteran diplomat Mr Wang last week, replacing former rising star Qin Gang, who has not been seen for more than a month — a mysterious absence after just seven months in the job that has raised questions about transparency.
China’s foreign ministry has only said Mr Qin was off work for unspecified health reasons.
The invitation to Mr Wang was extended on Monday during a meeting at the State Department between US Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Yang Tao, Director-General of the North American and Oceania Affairs at China’s Foreign Ministry, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing.
“In the meeting yesterday, we extended the invitation that had previously been made to foreign minister Qin Gang and made clear that invitation did transfer over,” Mr Miller said.
Mr Miller did not say if the Chinese side had accepted the invitation but added that this was Washington’s expectation.
“We certainly expect that it is something that they would accept and is a trip that we expect to happen, but we have not yet scheduled a date,” Mr Miller said.
A spokesperson for China’s Washington embassy said that in the “consultation” with Mr Kritenbrink, the two sides had “candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges of views on China-US relations as well as global and regional issues of mutual interest”.
“Concerning the high-level exchanges, both sides have maintained necessary communication,” the spokesperson added.
A US readout of the discussion called it “candid, substantive, and productive” and “part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the bilateral relationship”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Mr Qin on June 18, on the first visit by America’s top diplomat to China in five years.
The US State Department said then it held “candid, substantive, and constructive” talks, and Mr Blinken invited Mr Qin to Washington to continue discussions.
Mr Blinken subsequently met Mr Wang on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Jakarta in Mr Qin’s absence.
Mr Wang, 69, served as foreign minister from 2013-2022 as ties frayed with the United States to a point Beijing described as an all-time low.
Source: ABC News
