Chinese FM to visit US from Oct 26 to 28 ahead of Biden-Xi meet next month

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit the US on Thursday for a three-day visit and hold talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a part of the Biden administration's efforts to maintain an open channel of communications with Beijing.

Blinken will host his Chinese counterpart in Washington from October 26-28, the state department said in a press release on Monday.

The two will discuss a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues as part of ongoing efforts to manage the US-China relationship responsibly and maintain open channels of communication, the state department said.

Ties between Washington and Beijing have become increasingly fraught lately. The two nations have been locked in an escalating trade spat since early 2018, raising import tariffs on each other's goods.

“The United States will continue to use diplomacy to advance US interests and values, address areas of difference, and make progress on shared transnational challenges,” the press release said.

Wang's proposed visit comes amid US lawmakers asking China to iron out differences in trade and economic ties between the two world's largest economies.

It also comes before a likely meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden during a regional summit in San Francisco next month in a bid to manage the increasingly fraught relationship.