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Biden is pushing for general meetings with Beijing officials

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President Joe Biden is expected to establish the next phase of his policy in China by re-establishing general meetings with Beijing officials five months after the settlement.

The U.S. and China are discussing a possible meeting between Antony Blinken, Secretary of State, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the G20 summit in Italy next week, according to the three people quoted in the talks.

Biden officials also told Beijing that it intended to send Wendy Sherman, the Deputy Secretary of State, to China for the summer.

The White House is also considering a call for Xi Jinping, too, which could be Biden’s second bid as US President and Chinese counterpart.

In the first months of his presidency, Biden pledged to go to China calmly with a view to strengthening the US and strengthening cooperation.

The idea of ​​expanding closer ties with China comes as Washington moves forward to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic and a few months of spending time with its allies a strong word linking to Chinese practices at meetings, including the G7.

The White House also held initial internal talks to send Blinken or Jake Sullivan, a national security adviser, to China later this year, which could set the stage for Biden and Xi to hold a private meeting in addition to the G20 summit in Rome. in October.

“The supervisors from the outset planned to follow their guidelines accordingly [first] focused on rebuilding the U.S. and rehabilitating the epidemic and restoring our partnership and cooperation, “said Bonnie Glaser, a Chinese specialist at the German Marshall Fund.

“Now they believe this is the first time they’ve dated, although they can’t name it, and they’re in talks with China.”

The move will spark criticism from those who praised Biden for his surprise strong views on Beijing. But he has been welcomed by businessmen, who are concerned about the deterioration of relationships.

The Blinken-Wang conference will be the first to volunteer since Blinken and Sullivan met their Alaskan counterparts in March. A U.S. official said this was an opportunity to continue the discussion on the issues raised in Anchorage behind the doors after a public start.

At the end of the meeting, Blinken told Yang Jiechi, China’s top foreign policy chief, that he was not prepared to travel to China for further talks despite receiving a request.

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. The U.S. official said China had not said whether it would accept Sherman, who would be the only senior official working in Biden to visit other than John Kerry, a climate negotiator who met with a friend in Shanghai in April.

Emphasizing the challenges of bilateral relations, China continues do not ignore the Pentagon’s request Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense, to speak with General Xu Qiliang, the Chinese military chief. The Financial Times reported last month that China had rejected three invitations. The US security chief said things had not changed.

The White House and the government department did not comment on the talks. But Sullivan last week said Biden had spoken to Xi recently at a meeting of the US President in Geneva with Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president.

Sullivan said Biden volunteered to speak with Xi “to find out” about the relationship. “We are very dedicated to this work. Now it’s just a question of when and how, ”he said.

Follow Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter



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