Blinken reported that during his phone discussion with Qin, he and Qin talked about the relationship between the United States and China as well as the importance of keeping lines of communication open.
Following China’s announcement a week ago that it would promote its current ambassador to the United States to the position of foreign minister, the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a phone conversation with the incoming Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday, according to a tweet by Blinken.
Blinken reported that during his phone discussion with Qin, he and Qin talked about the relationship between the United States and China as well as the importance of keeping lines of communication open.
As Beijing and Washington work to smooth over their tumultuous diplomatic ties, China said on Friday that it will have Qin, its current ambassador to the United States and a trusted confidant of President Xi Jinping, serve as its new minister of foreign affairs.
Qin, who is 56 years old, takes over for Wang Yi, who served as foreign minister for the previous ten years. In October, Wang, who is 69 years old, was elevated to the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. As a result of this promotion, it is anticipated that he will play a more significant role in Chinese foreign policy.
Even though Qin sounded optimistic about U.S.-China relations during his relatively brief 17-month stint as ambassador in Washington—his predecessor had held the post for eight years—his tenure coincided with deteriorating ties between the two superpowers. Even though Qin sounded optimistic about U.S.-China relations during his relatively brief, 17-month stint as ambassador in Washington, his predecessor had held the post for eight years.
During Wang’s tenure as foreign minister, there was a significant escalation in the level of friction that existed between Beijing and Washington on a wide variety of issues, including trade and Taiwan.