Beijing, Washington Discuss US Secretary Of State's Visit To China - Foreign Ministry

Beijing and Washington are maintaining contacts to organize US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2023) Beijing and Washington are maintaining contacts to organize US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Politico reported that Blinken was planning to visit China from February 5-6 to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang.

"China welcomes US State Secretary Antony Blinken's visit to China. Beijing and Washington maintain cooperation on the concrete program (of the visit)," Wang said during a regular briefing.

He added that Beijing has always perceived and developed China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation, as suggested by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Wang also said that Beijing hoped that the US would have a correct perception of China, and would abandon the zero-sum approach in favor of dialogue.

"It is hoped that the United States can work with China to fully deliver on the important common understandings reached between the two heads of state, and bring China-U.S. relations back to the track of sound and steady growth," Wang was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Blinken's visit to China will serve as a follow-up to US President Joe Biden's talks with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali in 2022. During his visit, the Secretary of State will reportedly discuss the Ukraine conflict, anti-drugs cooperation and military consultations.