"During his visit to China, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will explain the US policy of pursuing a diplomatic path to manage tensions between the world's two largest economies," White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press conference in Tokyo on June 16.

"However, we do not expect this visit to lead to any breakthrough in bilateral relations with China," Mr. Sullivan stressed.

According to the US National Security Advisor, the more important diplomatic event for Washington during this time is the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week.

The US announced that Mr. Blinken will visit Beijing on June 18-19. This is the first visit by the top US diplomat to China since Mr. Mike Pompeo visited Beijing in October 2018.

China's Foreign Ministry has yet to comment on Mr. Blinken's visit.

Relations between the world's two largest economies have been strained in recent years over issues including Taiwan, trade and a host of other issues. US officials say Mr Blinken is in Beijing to ease tensions.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Bali, Indonesia last November and agreed to work to prevent tensions from spiraling out of control, including a visit by Mr Blinken to Beijing. However, the US secretary of state abruptly canceled the trip in February after the US shot down a Chinese balloon it said was a spy device.

Both sides have recently taken steps to manage tensions, including a closed-door meeting between National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi in Austria last month. US Secretary of State Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke by phone on June 14, stressing the importance of maintaining open lines of communication and avoiding escalation.

Meanwhile, the US has been stepping up its ties with India in recent years. Washington also wants to push New Delhi to participate more actively in the Quad group, along with the US, Japan and Australia, especially in the security field, to counterbalance China in the region.

Huyen Le (According to Reuters )