Blinken to visit China this week after delaying trip due to spy balloon.

Secretary of State Blinken to Finally Embark on Delayed Trip to China

After months of delay due to the spy balloon incident, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will finally travel to China this week. From June 16-21, Blinken will meet with senior officials to discuss the importance of maintaining open communication and responsibly managing the U.S.-PRC relationship.

“He will also raise bilateral issues of concern, global and regional matters, and potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges,”

The trip was originally planned for February, but was postponed after a Chinese spy balloon traveled over sensitive military sites in the U.S. before being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean. Since then, China’s military officials have given the U.S. the silent treatment and engaged in aggressive military maneuvers in the region.

A Major Problem

According to Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary of defense for the Indo-Pacific, there has been a steep rise in the region of People’s Liberation Army aerial intercepts over the last 18 months, which he called a “major problem.”

Since Blinken canceled the trip, a Chinese aircraft conducted an aggressive maneuver toward a U.S. Air Force aircraft, while a Chinese naval ship sailed in the way of a pair of U.S. and Canadian ships in the Taiwan Strait.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin briefly met with Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu at the Shangri-La summit in Singapore earlier this month, but it was not a substantive conversation, and the Chinese denied a request for a more formal meeting.

The administration also acknowledged this week that Beijing has a spy facility in Cuba that was updated in 2019.

What to Expect

During his trip, Blinken will discuss bilateral issues of concern, global and regional matters, and potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges. It will be interesting to see how the U.S.-PRC relationship progresses following the spy balloon incident and recent aggressive military maneuvers.

• Will China be willing to engage in open communication?
• Will the U.S. take a stronger stance against China’s aggressive behavior?
• What potential cooperation can be achieved?

Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.