It comes because the Biden administration seeks to make use of each lever it may possibly to stress Iran to carry again from the battle between Israel and Hamas, together with by encouraging Beijing, a serious companion of Tehran, to make use of its affect.
Wang will meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Beijing in June as the primary of a sequence of journeys to China by cupboard secretaries this summer season. He additionally plans to satisfy with nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan, following two days of talks in Malta in mid-September. A senior administration official declined to remark about whether or not Wang can even have an viewers with President Biden, though that may be typical, particularly after Blinken met Xi in China throughout his go to.
The 2 sides have been attempting to handle tensions after a means of re-engagement started this summer season, though there have been sharp detours, together with when Biden referred to as Xi a “dictator” shortly after the secretary of state returned from China. Beijing has sided with Moscow in its conflict towards Ukraine, though it has held again from unleashing the total may of its navy trade in assist of the Kremlin.
China can be making main investments in its navy, based on a Pentagon report launched final week, together with a doubling of its operational nuclear warheads by the tip of the last decade. The report famous a deterioration of navy communications between Beijing and Washington, regardless of a spate of shut calls between U.S. and Chinese language navy plane over the South China Sea.
Simply this weekend, a Chinese language Coast Guard ship collided with a Philippine resupply ship close to the Second Thomas Shoal within the South China Sea, the place Beijing’s territorial claims have led to clashes with neighbors and Washington.
“We’re in competitors with China. We search to handle that competitors responsibly,” a senior administration official mentioned, chatting with reporters on the situation of anonymity to talk candidly.
U.S. officers say they’ve few illusions about Chinese language conduct. Xi rolled out the purple carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing final week, and the senior administration official referred to as the Chinese language Coast Guard conduct “destabilizing and harmful and irresponsible.”
Regardless of the rivalry with the USA, China’s financial and political affect continues to be essential as Washington seeks to affect occasions elsewhere on this planet.
Blinken referred to as Wang earlier this month as he crisscrossed the Center East, in search of to get China to weigh in with the Iranians to carry them again from coming into the battle in Israel and Gaza. Hezbollah, the Lebanese political and militant group that’s backed by Iran, has been lobbing rockets into Israel and senior U.S. officers are deeply involved in regards to the prospect of a two-front conflict if Tehran decides to up the stress.
China, with its vital financial ties within the Center East, has develop into an more and more essential diplomatic actor within the area, brokering the latest détente between Saudi Arabia and Iran. U.S. officers mentioned they hope Beijing can use that muscle once more within the service of stopping a regional conflict, which they concern might be triggered by a possible Israeli floor invasion into densely-populated Gaza and the numerous civilian casualties that may probably end result.
John Hudson contributed to this report.