US State Department says No 2 official could still meet with Chinese counterparts
- Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is meeting with allies while travelling in Asia, but has no announced plans to visit China
- Spokesman says US will engage with Beijing ‘when it’s in our interests … we do remain interested in doing so in a practical, substantive and direct manner’
The US State Department suggested on Tuesday that a trip to China by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman remained possible during her current tour of Asia if officials determine that a meeting between Sherman and her Chinese counterparts would be productive.
“Whether it is this travel or any travel abroad by a senior State Department official, we make announcements only once and, of course, if we determine that a visit has the potential to be substantive and constructive for our purposes,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a briefing in Washington.
“We‘ve been clear that when it comes to the [People’s Republic of China], we will engage when it’s in our interests to do so, and we do remain interested in doing so in a practical, substantive and direct manner. That certainly remains the case,” he said.
Price declined to comment when asked what kind of response the State Department had received from Beijing concerning the idea of a meeting.