The United States has extended an invitation to China’s newly reappointed foreign minister, Wang Yi, following the removal of Qin Gang from his position, according to State Department spokesperson Matt Miller. The invitation was initially made to Gang, who served as China’s foreign minister for the past seven months, but his removal was approved at a routine meeting with little explanation given to the public.
When asked if Yi had accepted the invitation, Miller stated that he would leave it to the Chinese government to answer, but expressed the belief that the trip is something they would accept. Although a date has not been set, the US expects the visit to take place. The invitation was extended during a meeting between US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink and Yang Tao, director general of the North American and Oceanian Affairs Department, following Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China in June and a recent meeting with Yi in Indonesia.
During the June meeting in Beijing, Blinken discussed jointly addressing issues with Chinese leaders through working groups, while emphasizing the importance of collaborating with China to address fentanyl production and exports. Miller noted that progress is being made in fentanyl talks with China, but concrete results have not been achieved yet. The US is pushing for the establishment of a fentanyl working group, which has been a major priority, and will continue conversations with China.
Miller highlighted the commitment to work with China on important matters and address concerns when necessary. However, he was unsure if discussions regarding China’s assistance with the detainment of Travis King took place during Monday’s meeting. King, a civilian on a tour, was detained by North Korea last month while visiting the border with South Korea.
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