12-9-2023 (WASHINGTON) According to earlier reports by US media, China plans to send Vice Premier Han Zheng instead of Foreign Minister Wang Yi to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this month. The US State Department stated that Washington expects Secretary of State Blinken to meet with Wang Yi sometime before the end of the year.
State Department spokesperson Miller said, “Regarding whether Wang Yi will attend next week’s UNGA, that will be announced by the Chinese government. But whether during or after the UNGA, our expectation is that our Secretary of State will host Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the United States before the end of this year.”
If Wang Yi is absent from the UNGA, it could add uncertainty to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in San Francisco in November and meet with US President Biden.
Miller stated that Biden has expressed his desire to meet with Xi Jinping this fall, and the US side believes that a leaders-level one-on-one meeting is irreplaceable and will continue to work towards making it happen.
In early August, Miller mentioned that the US had invited Wang Yi to visit Washington, but at the time, he did not disclose whether China had accepted the invitation, only emphasizing that Washington looks forward to China’s acceptance, but no date has been arranged yet.
