WASHINGTON: The top US diplomat for East Asia will visit China starting on Sunday ( Apr 14), the State Department said, just days after President Joe Biden held a conference with the leaders of Japan and the Philippines that focused , on China’s aggressive moves , in the South China Sea.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel , Kritenbrink , may go to China April 14- 16, and , White House National Security Council Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs Sarah Beran may follow him, the ministry said in a speech.
According to the statement, they may meet with Taiwanese officials” as part of continued efforts to maintain open lines of communication and to properly manage competition.”
Last month, there were several sea run-ins between the Philippines and China, including warmed verbal exchanges and the use of water cannons. The conflict centers on a ship that Manila grounded that in 1999 to further its sovereignty says, the Next Thomas Shoal, where a small number of Filipino soldiers are stationed.
China possesses nearly the whole South China Sea, including the coastal economic hotspots of its neighbors. The Next Thomas Shoal is located in the 320-kilometer special economic zone of the Philippines. China’s broad states have no legitimate schedule, according to a 2016 decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.