U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be meeting with top China diplomat Wang Yi on Jun. 13 in Indonesia, according to the U.S. State Department cited by Reuters.

Foreign policy officials and leaders are convening in Jakarta for the 56th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM), including Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

China’s foreign minister Qin Gang will not attend the meetings due to “health reasons”, so Wang will be representing China.

Recent China-US exchanges

Blinken met with both Wang and Qin in China in June 2023, becoming the first top U.S. diplomat to visit the country in five years.

The U.S. State Secretary also had a meeting with China’s president Xi Jinping, during which both sides hailed the progress made and committed to more high-level exchanges.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a trip to China in early July 2023 to engage in economic-related discussions, while U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is scheduled to visit in the upcoming week.

I met yesterday with my Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng. We discussed the economic outlook for our two countries, and I raised concerns on behalf of American workers and businesses. We seek an economic relationship that benefits both sides. https://t.co/0VnghH0cno

— Secretary Janet Yellen (@SecYellen) July 9, 2023

On Jul. 12, China’s envoy to the U.S. Xie Feng also met with top Pentagon official Ely Ratner to speak about U.S.-China relations, according to China Daily, an English-language state-run media.

Friction still exists

A day earlier, a spokesperson from the Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU) criticised the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) for accusing it of challenging their interests.

The European military alliance had issued a strongly-worded communique at their annual meeting held in Lithuania, saying that China’s “stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge (NATO’s) interests, security and values”.

Jakarta meetings

Vivian met with Wang on Jun. 12 on the sidelines of the AMM, during which both sides reaffirmed the strong Singapore-China relationship.

They exchanged views on how both countries can speed up post-pandemic recovery, while stressing their commitment to enhancing the Asean-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Foreign ministers of member states reaffirmed the Five-Point Consensus, noting that it remained the basis of Asean’s approach to the situation in Myanmar, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

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Top image via Twitter/@SecBlinken