UPDATE - US Secretary of State Blinken headed to China this week: State Department

ADDS MORE DETAILS

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China this week, the State Department said Wednesday.

"While in Beijing, Secretary Blinken will meet with senior PRC officials where he will discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the U.S.-PRC relationship," spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"He will also raise bilateral issues of concern, global and regional matters, and potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges," said Miller.

Blinken will travel to Beijing on June 16.

The statement came hours after a telephone call late Tuesday between Blinken and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

The request for the call came from Washington, said Beijing.

Blinken's planned visit in February to engage in discussions with his recently appointed counterpart was deferred after a dispute arose concerning a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was detected above US airspace.

During a teleconference, Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said the Biden administration inherited an approach that acknowledged the challenge that China posed but had not fully developed the tools to deal with it.

He said much of that has changed over the last two years since Biden came to office.

"From the beginning, our approach has been consistent. We are in competition with China, but we do not seek conflict, confrontation, or a new Cold War. We are for managing the competition responsibly," said Campbell.

He noted that the Biden administration knows efforts to shape or reform China over several decades have failed, adding that "we expect China to be around and to be a major player on the world stage for the rest of our lifetimes.

"As the competition continues, the PRC will take provocative steps – from the Taiwan Strait to Cuba – and we will push back," said Campbell.

Blinken will also travel to London.

"In London, the Secretary will attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference to help mobilize international support from the public and private sector to help Ukraine recover from Russia’s brutal and ongoing attacks," said the statement.

"While there, he will also meet with counterparts from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and other partners and allies," it added.