Will ‘diplomatic and security dialogue’ help ease China-US tensions?
New discussion platform replaces the oft-criticised Strategic and Economic Dialogue ahead of US President Donald Trump’s China visit
Senior officials from China and the United States will meet for a “diplomatic and security dialogue” on Wednesday amid rising tensions ahead of US President Donald Trump’s China trip this fall.
The talks are one of four discussion mechanisms replacing the Strategic and Economic Dialogue that was used by the administration of the former US president, Barack Obama, and the first formal meeting between officials of the two nations since Trump’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in April.
The latest talks are expected to further set the tone for the two nations to contain their simmering tensions and prepare for Trump’s visit to China, expected to occur in November.
Amid North Korea’s multiple ballistic missile tests, the death of American student Otto Warmbier soon after his release from a Pyongyang prison and the Trump administration’s first freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, regional security tension has been escalating. The forum is regarded as a way for the two major powers to maintain close contact and avoid miscommunication and misjudgment.