Senior US officials arrive in China today in an effort to strengthen communication

Quan chức cấp cao Mỹ hôm nay đến Trung Quốc trong nỗ lực tăng cường liên lạc - Ảnh 1. — US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will arrive in China today, June 4th.

The South China Morning Post reported that a senior US diplomat will arrive in China today, June 4th, as part of a series of meetings Washington is trying to arrange to ease tensions with its "strategic competitor" and prevent further deterioration of relations.

According to a statement from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will visit China from June 4-10 to "discuss key issues in the bilateral relationship."

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He will be accompanied by Sarah Beran, Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council.

Information about Kritenbrink's visit emerged after reports that CIA Director William Burns secretly visited China last month and a meeting between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo and Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China.

Last week, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with his US counterpart Gina Raimondo in Washington, before traveling to Michigan to meet with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

However, signals of increased contact have not yet extended to the military sphere.

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 3, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized reports that his Chinese counterpart, Li Shangfu, refused to meet him on the sidelines of the event. Reuters, citing the Pentagon, reported that the two officials shook hands at a dinner on June 2, but no substantive exchange took place.

According to Austin, Beijing's reluctance to engage in dialogue will undermine efforts to maintain peace in the region. "With responsible defense leaders, the right time is anytime," he stated, adding that Washington will not support Beijing's "coercion and bullying" of U.S. partners and allies.

In response, Chinese officials in Singapore said that Secretary Austin and other US officials had distorted the truth and undermined the One China principle through arms sales and increased exchanges with Taiwan.

President Xi Jinping urged China to prepare for the "worst-case" scenario.

In November 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden outlined a roadmap to improve relations through a "ladder" of visits by high-ranking officials in finance, trade, and diplomacy, potentially leading to Xi's visit to San Francisco (California) in November for the APEC summit.

Observers suggest that a key focus of Kritenbrink's trip may be the possibility of Biden visiting China.

After visiting China, diplomat Kritenbrink will fly to Auckland to attend the US-New Zealand Strategic Dialogue before returning home.

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