Tag: WASHINGTON

US invites new Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi to Washington

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Turkey, on Jul 26, 2023. (Photo: Stringer/Pool via REUTERS)

The United States has formally invited China’s newly reappointed foreign minister, Wang Yi, to Washington, the US State Department said on Tuesday (Aug 1), after Wang’s predecessor was abruptly removed from his post by Beijing.

China reappointed veteran diplomat Wang last week, replacing former rising star Qin Gang, who has not been seen for more than month – a mysterious absence after just seven months in the job that has raised questions about transparency.

China’s foreign ministry has only said Qin was off work for 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 told a press briefing.

“In the meeting yesterday, we extended the invitation that had previously been made to foreign minister Qin Gang and made clear that invitation did transfer over,” Miller said.

Miller did not say if the Chinese side had accepted the invitation but 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.

A spokesperson for China’s Washington embassy said that in 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.”

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/united-states-formally-invites-china-foreign-minister-wang-yi-visit-washington-3670336

China faces consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions, U.S. says

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, warned Beijing it would “absolutely” face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Russia asked China for military equipment after its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, sparking concern in the White House that Beijing may undermine Western efforts to help Ukrainian forces defend their country, several U.S. officials said.

China
U.S. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the news media about the situation in Ukraine during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

Sullivan plans in his meeting with Yang to make Washington’s concerns clear while mapping out the consequences and growing isolation China would face globally if it increases its support of Russia, one U.S. official said, without providing details.

Asked about Russia’s request for military aid, first reported by the Financial Times, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, said: “I’ve never heard of that.”

Liu said “utmost efforts should be made to support Russia and Ukraine in carrying forward negotiations despite the difficult situation to produce a peaceful outcome.”

Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that Washington believed China was aware Russia was planning some action in Ukraine before the invasion took place, although Beijing may not have understood the full extent of what was planned.

After the invasion began, Russia sought both military equipment and support from China, the U.S. officials said.

Sullivan told CNN Washington was watching closely to see to what extent Beijing provided economic or material support to Russia, and would impose consequences if that occurred.

“We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them,” Sullivan said. “We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world.”

The meeting, planned for some time, is part of a broader effort by Washington and Beijing to maintain open channels of communication and manage competition between the world’s two largest economies, a senior Biden administration official said.

No specific outcomes were expected, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the meeting’s focus was to “implement the important consensus” reached during the virtual meeting held between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in November, which discussed “strategic stability” and arms control issues.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/white-house-adviser-discuss-russias-war-ukraine-with-chinas-top-diplomat-source-2022-03-13/

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