Breaking News! Foreign media reports suggest that a deputy foreign minister of China will visit the United States! On July 16, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP), sources familiar with the matter revealed that Ma Zhaoxu, a key figure in handling China-U.S. relations, is scheduled to arrive in Washington next week. It is reportedly speculated that the itinerary may also include a visit to Miami—the host city of the G20 Summit set for December this year. Beyond this, foreign media have not disclosed any additional details.
Naturally, whether this news is true remains uncertain, and official confirmation is clearly required for further clarification. However, regarding China-U.S. relations, it is indeed plausible that our deputy foreign minister will visit America. First, Trump previously publicly stated that China would visit the U.S. in September. Second, although Ma Zhaoxu holds the title of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, his rank is equivalent to that of a full minister, overseeing all routine operations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
High-level communication and critical bilateral consultations between China and the U.S. fall within the scope of responsibility of Deputy Minister Ma Zhaoxu. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that this trip is intended to conduct preliminary consultations in advance, setting dates, venues, and discussion topics for a potential top-level summit between China and the U.S. in September. By pre-establishing communication boundaries, risks can be better managed, thus avoiding serious disagreements during high-level meetings that could lead directly to deadlock.
Foreign media indicate that the trip may include a stop in Miami. If confirmed, the intent behind this is quite clear: to conduct on-site coordination ahead of time for preparations related to this year’s G20 Summit, finalize cooperation issues for China and the U.S. in multilateral forums, and coordinate relevant agenda items in advance to lay the groundwork for the upcoming G20 leaders’ meeting at year-end. Nevertheless, even if this trip ultimately proceeds, it does not mean that existing tensions between the two sides will be resolved overnight. Ultimately, whether the visit will take place and what the specific arrangements are will all depend on official announcements from our side.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870882541470730/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.