U.S. State Department Secretary Joe Biden discussed the relationship between Washington and Beijing on Sunday in a call with his incoming counterpart in China, Qin Gang, amid tensions between the two countries.
«I spoke on the phone this morning with the incoming foreign minister of the People’s Republic of China, Qin Gang, as he departs Washington to take up his new post. We discussed the relationship between the US and (…) China and maintaining open lines of communication,» Blinken explained in a message through his official profile on the social network Twitter.
Qin said that Blinken called him this Sunday to say goodbye, while thanking him for «several sincere, deep and constructive meetings with him» during his stay in the US.
«I look forward to continuing close working relations with him for a woman China-U.S. relationship,» said the future holder of the foreign portfolio in his profile on the same social network.
Gang, ambassador since July 2021, has replaced Wang Yi in the post, after the latter became the top foreign policy adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping, replacing the veteran Yang Yiechi, who resigned from the post at the age of 72.
The new minister, who has served in the past as spokesman for the same department, has at times distanced himself from Beijing’s official line, for example by dismissing fears of a potential war with Taiwan or admitting that China could have done more to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
