US Assistant Secretary of State for Southeast Asia Daniel Krittenbrink will pay an official visit to Beijing in the coming days, the State Department in Washington announced on Saturday, in a new effort to warm relations between the US and China.

During this visit, the senior US diplomat will “discuss key issues in relations” between Washington and Beijing and will be accompanied by a White House official in charge of US relations with China and Taiwan, AFP and Agerpres reported.

Daniel Kritenbrink will also travel to New Zealand and his entire regional tour will run from June 4-10.

There have been several recent meetings between US and Chinese officials, signaling an attempt to restore dialogue between the US and China after Washington publicly criticized Beijing for its pro-Russian stance in the war in Ukraine, claims over Taiwan or infiltration into Ukraine. a mysterious Chinese balloon in American airspace.

During a visit to Japan last month, US President Joe Biden estimated that relations between Washington and Beijing should “warm up very soon”.

However, Beijing declined a US invitation to a meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu during a security conference in Singapore. Finally, the two responsible had a brief discussion on Friday.

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