US Secretary Of State To Fly To China Open Communication Paths

JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is scheduled to fly to China on June 16 in an effort to open communication lines between Washington and Beijing which had been cut off due to tensions that have occurred in recent months.

While in Beijing, Blinken will meet with a number of senior Chinese officials. There, he will discuss the importance of keeping communication lines open to manage US and Chinese relations responsibly to avoid conflict, according to the US Department of Foreign Affairs' statement on its website.

He will also discuss bilateral issues of concern to the US, global and regional issues, as well as cooperation opportunities related to various cross-border challenges.

The statement comes hours after Blinken made a phone call with China's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Tuesday evening local time.

Blinken will also fly to London to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference. While in London, he will mobilize international support from the public and private sector to help Ukraine recover from Russia's brutal and sustainable attacks.

While there, Blinken will also meet partners from the UK, Ukraine, as well as partners and other allies.

Previously, China had rejected US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's request to meet directly with his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu during the annual security forum in Singapore earlier this month.

Beijing has also cut off inter-military communications channels with the United States after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August last year.

In addition to the friction related to Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, further tensions took place earlier this year after Washington detected what it called a Chinese spy balloon that crossed sensitive US areas.

The incident caused a sudden delay over US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's planned visit to Beijing in early February.