US state dept official heads to China for dialogue amid heightened tensions

By Reuters: A senior US state Department official will journey to China subsequent week, the division acknowledged on Saturday, as Washington seeks to boost communication with Beijing at a time of tense relations between the two nations.

US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will give attention to “key issues in the bilateral relationship” all through his go to to China, the State Department acknowledged in a press launch. He will most likely be joined by White House National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran.

Ties between the world’s two largest economies are strained over factors ranging from Taiwan and China’s human rights report back to military train inside the South China Sea.

During his travels from Sunday to June 10, Kritenbrink may even go to New Zealand to participate inside the U.S.-New Zealand Strategic Dialogue, the division acknowledged.

The go to might even see Kritenbrink in Beijing on or near June 4, the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown by Chinese troops on demonstrators in and spherical Beijing’s Tiananmen Square that rights groups say killed a complete bunch, if not lots of, of protesters.

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A State Department spokesperson declined to comment further on the exact dates of the U.S. diplomat’s journey.

Earlier on Saturday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a press launch marking the anniversary of the crackdown, saying that “The victims’ bravery will not be forgotten and continues to inspire advocates for these principles around the world.”

Kritenbrink’s journey follows a go to ultimate month to China by CIA Director William Burns. A US official acknowledged Burns “emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels” in conferences collectively along with his Chinese counterparts.

On Saturday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rebuked China for refusing to hold military talks.

Speaking on the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s excessive security summit, Austin acknowledged Beijing’s reluctance to talk undermined efforts to maintain up peace in a space the place the two rivals are rising their military firepower.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a deliberate February journey to China after an alleged Chinese spy balloon flew by way of U.S. airspace over delicate military web sites, kicking off a diplomatic catastrophe.

But the White House has acknowledged further efforts had been being made to facilitate visits by Blinken, along with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.