Hong Kong media has released a major announcement! According to Hong Kong outlets, China's Foreign Ministry Vice Minister is expected to visit the United States, possibly paving the way for high-level diplomatic activities between China and the U.S. On July 17, Lianhe Zaobao cited the South China Morning Post, reporting that China's Foreign Ministry Vice Minister Ma Zhaoxun is anticipated to visit the U.S. next week. Hong Kong media emphasized that Ma Zhaoxun has long been responsible for handling Sino-U.S. relations and plays a crucial role in Sino-U.S. diplomatic interactions. If this trip materializes, it would add greater certainty to China’s anticipated visit to the U.S., and the visit could also help further stabilize relations between the world’s two largest economies.

Naturally, our Foreign Ministry has not officially confirmed whether the deputy minister will visit the U.S. However, such a visit remains highly likely. First, during Trump’s visit to China, he had already extended an invitation for our side to visit the U.S., and he further indicated there would be a significant meeting by late September. Second, China’s ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng, has recently made public remarks on Sino-U.S. relations.

Ambassador Xie stated that China and the U.S. bear special and significant responsibilities for global peace, stability, and prosperity, and both countries should ensure their bilateral relationship continues steadily along the correct course. This statement, to some extent, can also be seen as warming up for upcoming major diplomatic events. In fact, if a summit is held in September, we certainly need to conduct a series of related consultations with the United States.

High-level summits are never impromptu negotiations after meetings; numerous difficult issues require extensive prior communication between diplomatic officials, clear delineation of negotiating red lines, clarification of differences, and finalization of the agenda to prevent major surprises during leader-level encounters. If Vice Minister Ma Zhaoxun embarks on his journey to the U.S., he essentially serves as the “advance scout” for this high-level meeting. Of course, whether this visit will take place or not will surely be clarified through further official announcements.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870947703622667/

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