2-8-2023 (WASHINGTON) The United States has officially invited China’s newly reappointed foreign minister, Wang Yi, to visit Washington, according to the US State Department. This move comes after Wang’s predecessor, Qin Gang, was abruptly removed from his post by Beijing. China reappointed veteran diplomat Wang last week, replacing former rising star Qin Gang, who has been missing for over a month. The mysterious absence has raised questions about transparency. The Chinese foreign ministry has only stated that Qin was off work due to unspecified health reasons.
The invitation to Wang was extended on Monday during a meeting at the State Department between US Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Yang Tao, Director General of the North American and Oceania Affairs at China’s Foreign Ministry. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed this during a press briefing. Miller did not disclose whether the Chinese side had accepted the invitation, but he added that this was Washington’s expectation. “We certainly expect that it is something that they would accept, and is a trip that we expect to happen, but we have not yet scheduled a date,” Miller said.
In a statement, a spokesperson for China’s Washington embassy said that during the “consultation” with Kritenbrink, the two sides had “candid, in-depth, and constructive exchanges of views on China-US relations as well as global and regional issues of mutual interest.” The spokesperson added: “Concerning the high-level exchanges, both sides have maintained necessary communication.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Qin on June 18, on his first visit to China in five years. The US State Department said at the time that they held “candid, substantive, and constructive” talks, and Blinken invited Qin to Washington to continue discussions. Blinken subsequently met Wang on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Jakarta in Qin’s absence. Wang, who served as foreign minister from 2013-2022 as ties frayed with the United States to a point Beijing described as an all-time low, is 69 years old.
