Blinken’s agenda is expected to include Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, China’s nuclear arsenal and US citizens held in China.
The newspaper reported citing Washington-based diplomats familiar with Blinken’s travel plans that the US state secretary will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on February 5-6.
Blinken’s visit to Beijing is a follow-up to US leader Joe Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia in November 2022, at which Biden vowed to “maintain open lines of communication” with China. The trip will also test whether the meeting between the two presidents has paved the way for more productive US-China relations at a time of tensions.
The relationship between China and the United States has been strained since then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with leaders in Taiwan. China, which claims Taiwan as part of China, described Pelosi's visit in August as "extremely dangerous."
Tensions in the Taiwan China strait and the South China Sea have increased since Pelosi's trip.