Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Visits US; Seen as Preliminary Coordination for Xi Jinping's Visit

▲ Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu visited the United States and met with high-ranking officials from the State Department, the White House, and the Department of Defense to discuss bilateral relations and strategic stability issues.

According to the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Vice Minister Ma met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau during his visit to the U.S. on July 22–23 (local time).

Vice Minister Ma also met with Ivan Kanapathy, Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council (NSC), and Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, while exchanging views with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The two sides exchanged views on implementing the major common understandings reached by the leaders of both countries and advancing the establishment of a constructive and strategically stable U.S.-China relationship, the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated.

However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry did not disclose specific details of the discussions.

Analysts suggest that Vice Minister Ma's current visit to the U.S. is intended for preliminary coordination ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected visit to the United States in September.

Previously, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on July 16 that Vice Minister Ma's trip to the U.S. could be part of preparations for President Xi's visit.

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on July 23 (local time) that "President Xi is scheduled to visit [the U.S.] on September 24."

President Trump had previously invited President Xi to the United States for September 24 during his state visit to China in May, and Wang Yi, Director of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Office for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has also mentioned that President Xi will visit the U.S. this autumn.

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