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TAIPEI, June 14 (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed concerns by phone Wednesday ahead of a planned visit by U.S. officials to China to strengthen ties.
“Spoke tonight with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang,” Blinken’s official Twitter account read. “Ongoing efforts to keep lines of communication open and bilateral and global issues were discussed.”
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on one of its social media pages that Qin urged the United States to respect “China’s core concerns” such as the issue of Taiwan’s autonomy and “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stopping harming China’s interests.” Competing for sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition. “
Qin said Sino-U.S. relations have “encountered new difficulties and challenges” since the beginning of this year, and the responsibility of both sides is to work together to properly manage differences, promote exchanges and cooperation, and stabilize relations.
Blinken is reportedly scheduled to visit China this week, following weeks of diplomatic overtures between the two countries aimed at easing tensions. Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing in February after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew over U.S. soil.
China has since largely rejected U.S. attempts at official exchanges, though it has made some overtures. Last week, Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, became the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit China after the balloon crash.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo met with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao in Washington in May to discuss trade. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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