The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet on Friday amid sour relations between the countries due to the rising tensions at the Taiwan Strait.
What Happened: The U.S. Department of State announced that the two leaders would meet on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
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As part of our efforts to maintain open lines of communication and manage competition responsibly, the Secretary will discuss a range of bilateral and global issues with the PRC State Councilor and Foreign Minister, the department said in a statement.
The agenda for the two leaders was not revealed by the U.S. nor China.
Why It's Important: The meeting comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden said he would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan from a Chinese attack. Biden's statement drew a harsh response from China, which said the U.S. was sending the wrong signal to those seeking Taiwan's independence, where it claims sovereignty.
Biden made the most recent of several instances when the U.S. seemed to go beyond its long-standing policy on Taiwan. The U.S. has also often reiterated that it respects the One China policy of China President Xi Jinping, while the two nations have long stuck to a policy of strategic ambiguity. A Chinese government spokesperson reiterated on Wednesday Xi Jinping's proposal for peaceful reunification with Taiwan. After reunification, Taiwan could have its own social system different from the mainland to ensure their religious freedoms and way of living, but that was under the precondition of national sovereignty, security, and development interests. Read Next: Kim Jong Un May Soon Launch New Missile Submarine, Satellite Imagery Reportedly Shows