UNITED NATIONS: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with China’s vice president on Monday, the latest high-level dialogue in days between the rival nations.
The State Department said in its public schedule that Blinken will meet with Vice President Han Zheng in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The talks come at a time when the United States is watching the personnel changes in Beijing with increasing intrigue. Qin Gang, President Xi Jinping’s pick for foreign minister, was suddenly replaced in July by veteran politician Wang Yi.
US officials had initially expected Wang to go to the annual UN meeting, where he may have met briefly with President Joe Biden, but China said the relatively lesser-known Han would attend instead.
But Wang, who is also the Communist Party’s foreign policy director, held talks with Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta over the weekend.
The United States says it is seeking to maintain open ties with China to manage frequent tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled to Beijing this year, resuming contacts that had virtually ceased during the pandemic.