US Secretary of State May Meet Xi Jinping... AP Reports Possible Visit to China

Government Official Cites Prospects for Meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister on the 18th

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is reported to potentially visit Beijing, China this month and hold talks with high-ranking local officials, including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On the 9th (local time), the Associated Press cited U.S. government officials in reporting this. The officials explained that Secretary Blinken is expected to visit China next week and may hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on the 18th. They also hinted at the possibility of meeting President Xi Jinping.

Earlier, Secretary Blinken had planned to visit China in February as a follow-up to the U.S.-China summit held last year. However, the plan was canceled due to an incident where a suspected reconnaissance Chinese balloon entered U.S. airspace. China explained that it was a civilian weather observation balloon.

Tony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State [Photo by Yonhap News]

Immediately after the canceled China visit, Secretary Blinken briefly met Wang Yi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau, at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) held in Germany. If he visits China this time, it will be the first visit by a U.S. Secretary of State since Mike Pompeo in 2018, marking a five-year interval.

However, there is still a possibility that the visit may not take place. This is due to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report stating that China has reached an agreement with the Cuban government to build a surveillance base near the U.S. mainland in Cuba. In the U.S., there is speculation that the construction of the surveillance base could disrupt the visit plans, given that Secretary Blinken’s actions are seen as a significant step toward thawing bilateral relations. There is speculation that the surveillance base issue could cause setbacks to the visit plans.

The White House National Security Council (NSC) expressed concern about China-Cuba relations but stated that the WSJ report is not accurate. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the report, criticizing it as a typical U.S. tactic of spreading rumors and slandering other countries.

The U.S. Department of State and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not officially confirmed Secretary Blinken’s China visit schedule.