Blinken Visits China Before Modi's US Visit

June 19, 2023 10:47 IST

US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken meets Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on Sunday.

Blinken arrived in Beijing early on Sunday morning and held an extended round of talks -- over seven hours with Qin.

Blinken is the highest-level American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years.

Blinken's visit to Beijing comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra D Modi's state visit to Washington, DC this week.

Blinken's visit was largely seen as an attempt to keep the communication channels open between Washington and Beijing so that bilateral relations can be 'responsibly managed'.

IMAGE: US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken meet Foreign Minister Qin Gang -- who served as China's ambassador to Washington before his promotion earlier this year -- at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing, June 18, 2023, here and below. All photographs: Leah Millis/Pool/Reuters

IMAGE: Blinken greets Wang Yi, China's director of the office of the central foreign affairs commission -- the People's Republic's highest-ranking diplomat and former foreign minister -- at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse, June 19, 2023.

Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com

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