▲ This Xinhua file photo shows U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, shaking hands during Blinken's visit to Beijing in June. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

US-China-talks

Top U.S., Chinese diplomats set to hold talks in Washington

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of the United States and China are set to meet in Washington on Thursday, U.S. officials said, with their agenda expected to include preparations for a possible summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

The meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi comes as Washington seeks Beijing's cooperation in preventing an escalation of the war between Israel and the Hamas militant group and stably managing the competition between the world's two largest economies.

High on the agenda are likely to be preparations for an expected meeting between Biden and Xi on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit slated to take place in San Francisco from Nov. 11-17, according to observers.

During a meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, Xi struck a conciliatory tone, reportedly highlighting China's policy toward the U.S. in pursuit of "mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation" -- remarks that further raised the prospects of his possible summit with Biden.

Biden and Xi held their first face-to-face bilateral summit on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia last November.

In a press release on Monday, the State Department said the two sides will discuss a range of bilateral, regional and global issues as part of efforts to "responsibly" manage the bilateral relationship and maintain open channels of communication.

Blinken is expected to reiterate calls for Beijing to exert its influence to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading across the Middle East region as Israel is preparing for a ground assault into Hamas-controlled Gaza amid exchanges of fire with the Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

The two sides could also discuss issues related to Russia's protracted war in Ukraine. Blinken is likely to reiterate opposition to any military assistance to Russia.

They, in addition, could discuss U.S. semiconductor export controls against China and Beijing's export restrictions on critical minerals as well as such regional issues as tensions across the Taiwan Strait and North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

During his stay through Saturday, Wang plans to meet with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Local media have also raised the possibility that Wang could meet with Biden as Blinken met Xi during his trip to Beijing in June.

In recent months, the Biden administration has been seen pursuing better ties with Beijing under its drive to "de-risk" -- rather than decouple -- the bilateral relationship. The efforts were evidenced by high-level visits to China by Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

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