US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is still planning to visit China, but wants to wait for the right moment. He announced his intentions on April 11 during a press conference with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Filipino colleagues.
“As for my visit to China, as soon as the right conditions are ripe, I will certainly look forward to this trip,” Blinken said.
The diplomat stressed the need to strengthen US-China communication channels. According to him, stable relations between the two states are of great importance in the context of international security and maintaining peace. The Secretary of State once again reminded that the American authorities are not interested in a cold war with China.
Initially, Blinken was supposed to leave for Beijing in early February, but plans fell through due to an incident with a Chinese balloon in the sky over the United States.
On April 6, the US Secretary of State said that Washington does not seek conflict with Beijing over Taiwan. According to him, the US wants to maintain normal interaction between countries.
In turn, the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping recalled that the Republic adheres to an unchanged position in the context of relations with Taiwan. According to him, “anyone who expects China to make concessions on the Taiwan issue is indulging in pipe dreams.”
Before that, in March, the head of Chinese diplomacy Qin Gang accused the United States of abuse of power and disregard for international law. He added that if the United States does not change the described approach, this will lead to a confrontation between states.
Relations between the US and China have deteriorated after the visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, which took place in August last year. The Chinese side considers the island to be its territory, therefore, it considers the visit of the island by officials of other countries as support for the independence of Taiwan. Following Pelosi’s visit, the PLA began a live-fire exercise off the island.
