Top US officials will meet Chinese counterparts in Alaska next week: State Department

Two of the most senior Biden administration officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts next week, in Alaska, the State Department announced Wednesday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will meet on March 18 in Anchorage, Alaska, with China’s Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi, the US said.

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“The meeting will take place following Secretary Blinken’s meetings with two of our closest regional allies in Tokyo and Seoul,” the State Department said. Blinken is scheduled to make his first trip abroad to Japan and South Korea days before meeting Chinese officials.

The US officials will discuss a “range of issues,” and Blinken will return to the US on March 19. The statement made no mention of when Sullivan would return.

Biden has said that China and Russia are the biggest threats to US national security, while the Pentagon has created a task force designated to studying and countering China’s activities.

Read more: Biden to approach US-China relations with ‘patience’