Chinese Foreign Minister's rare US visit sets stage for possible Xi Jinping trip

China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, is scheduled to visit Washington this week, as announced by the United States on Monday. This visit paves the way for a potential visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the primary objective of mitigating tensions between the two nations.

Wang Yi’s visit marks the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the US capital in nearly five years and is expected to occur from Thursday to Saturday. The backdrop for this visit is one of growing friction over issues such as trade, the situation in Ukraine, developments in the Middle East, the Taiwan question, and China’s assertive actions in areas near the Philippines.

A senior US official explained that this visit is part of ongoing efforts to “responsibly manage our competition” between the two world’s largest economies. The official stated, “We continue to believe that direct face-to-face diplomacy is the best way to address challenging issues, rectify misperceptions and miscommunications, and explore opportunities for cooperation with China where our interests align.”

Wang’s visit reciprocates Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing in June, making Blinken the highest-ranking US official to visit China since 2018. During his visit, Blinken held extensive discussions with top Chinese leadership, including President Xi. In a similar vein, Wang is anticipating a meeting with President Joe Biden, who is in Washington during the same time.

Biden, who last met with President Xi in November on the sidelines of the Group of 20 talks in Bali, has extended an invitation to Xi to visit San Francisco next month, where the United States will host an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. When asked if Wang’s visit will formalize Xi’s visit, another US official declined to provide further details but acknowledged Biden’s hope to meet President Xi soon.

Both the United States and China have expressed their interest in avoiding conflict in recent months. President Xi, during a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this month, emphasized that the US-China relationship “will determine the future and destiny of mankind.”

Despite these overtures, tensions have flared up, particularly following China’s military exercises near Taiwan, a US-supported democracy that Beijing claims as its own. In a recent incident, the Philippines, a US ally, accused China of deliberately colliding with its resupply boats in contested waters, while China retorted by accusing Manila of spreading “false information.”

On Monday, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security advisor, voiced support for the Philippines after China’s actions were labeled “dangerous and unlawful.” Sullivan is set to meet with Wang during his visit to Washington.

In a strategy that mirrors preparations for Blinken’s trip, the Biden administration is engaging with US allies before engaging in discussions with China. This week, President Biden will host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for a state visit, ahead of Albanese’s upcoming visit to China as diplomatic relations thaw.

China, on its part, has been strengthening its alliances, as demonstrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Beijing, one of his first trips since the Ukraine crisis began. China has offered moral support to Russia but, according to US officials, has refrained from providing full-fledged military support to Moscow, heeding US warnings.

Both China and the United States have sought diplomatic leverage against each other concerning the situation in the Middle East. During his Middle East tour, Blinken contacted Wang, urging China to exert pressure on Iran, which supports Hamas. In response, China has criticized US support for Israel and denounced the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution that sought to affirm Israel’s right to self-defense.