US State Department No. 2 Visits South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia... No Visit to China

Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Wendy Sherman, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, will visit South Korea, Japan, and Mongolia next week. The much-anticipated visit to China was not announced.

On the 14th (local time), the U.S. Department of State announced that Deputy Secretary Sherman will visit Japan, South Korea, and Mongolia from the 18th to the 25th.

The State Department explained that after talks with Japanese officials in Tokyo, Deputy Secretary Sherman will hold a trilateral meeting of U.S., South Korean, and Japanese deputy foreign ministers to discuss North Korea, regional security, climate change, and other issues.

In Seoul, Deputy Secretary Sherman will hold talks with South Korean government officials and conduct a strategic dialogue with Choi Jong-geon, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. Through this, they plan to discuss climate change, support for COVID-19 damages, and post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

During the visit to Ulaanbaatar, Deputy Secretary Sherman is expected to discuss democracy and human rights, including religious freedom and respect for traditional culture.

The State Department stated that through this visit, Deputy Secretary Sherman will reaffirm the United States' commitment to working with allies and partners to promote peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and to uphold the international rules-based order.

The State Department announcement did not include a visit to China by Deputy Secretary Sherman. A day earlier, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post anticipated that Deputy Secretary Sherman would visit Tianjin, China, to discuss a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden with Chinese officials.