China’s top diplomat Wang Yi is best hope for making Xi-Biden meeting happen, analysts say

‘At this point only Wang Yi has the credentials’ to coordinate summit between US and Chinese presidents, international relations expert says

Washington confirms it has invited the senior foreign affairs adviser to visit and ‘it is a trip that we expect to happen’, though no date set yet

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Wang Yi is one of China’s most powerful foreign ministers in decades. Photo: AP

Published: 6:00pm, 2 Aug 2023Updated: 6:51pm, 2 Aug 2023

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi could be the best bet to lay a foundation for a potential meeting between the US and Chinese presidents when he visits Washington, observers said.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed on Tuesday that Wang – China’s foreign minister and the Communist Party’s foreign affairs chief – had been invited to visit Washington, though a date had yet to be set.

The invitation was extended during a meeting on Monday between senior US and Chinese diplomats in Washington. The diplomats included Yang Tao, the Chinese foreign ministry’s head of North American and Oceanian affairs, and Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

The US described the talks as “candid, substantive and productive” and part of efforts to “maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the bilateral relationship”.

Miller said the invitation was previously extended to Qin Gang, the former Chinese foreign minister who was abruptly removed from office after disappearing from public view in late June. Wang was reappointed as foreign minister late last month in the wake of Qin’s removal.