WASHINGTON Jun 19 Scheduled for Monday U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken did not meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to China, follows from the schedule of the head of department published by the State Department.
Earlier, CBS News reported that, despite the absence of a final agreement on this issue, preparations were underway in Beijing to a possible meeting between Blinken and Xi.
The meeting with the Chinese leader remains the main intrigue of Blinken's trip and an indication of the «success» of his visit to Beijing. Officially, neither Washington nor Beijing confirmed the preparations for the meeting.
According to the schedule, on Monday, Blinken will hold talks with the head of the office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Wang Yi, will take part in a round table with exchange program alumni, will meet with staff and families of the US mission to China and American business leaders, after which he will conclude the visit with a press conference.
Blinken's current visit is the first visit by a US Secretary of State to China in five years. It takes place against the backdrop of a significant deterioration in relations between the two countries due to a whole range of issues. We are talking about the situation with Taiwan, the incident with the downing of a Chinese balloon over the United States, as well as disagreements in trade and technology.