US To Assess When Time Right For Blinken's China Trip, Maintain Contacts - State Dept.

The United States will determine when conditions are right for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to travel to Beijing and will do so while communicating with Chinese counterparts, a senior State Department official said on Friday, after the top diplomat delayed his trip to Beijing over the balloon incident

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) The United States will determine when conditions are right for Secretary of State Antony Blinken to travel to Beijing and will do so while communicating with Chinese counterparts, a senior State Department official said on Friday, after the top diplomat delayed his trip to Beijing over the balloon incident.

"The Secretary (Blinken) indicated that he would plan to travel to the PRC at the earliest opportunity when conditions allow. In the meantime, we will maintain open lines of communication with the PRC to address our concerns about this ongoing incident, and to responsibly manage the competition between our countries" the senior official said.

The official added that under current conditions, it wouldn't be constructive to visit Beijing since it would considerably "narrow" the discussion agenda.