This undated photo shows the national flags of China (right) and the United States as well as the flag of Washington DC on the Constitution Avenue in Washington, capital of the United States. (Bao Dandan / Xinhua)
WASHINGTON – US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet on Thursday with China's new ambassador to Washington as the world's two largest economies navigate deeply strained relations.
The meeting between Sherman and Qin Gang will take place in the afternoon at the State Department in Washington, the department said on Wednesday in announcing its public schedule for the following day.
Qin Gang, 55, struck an optimistic tone as he arrived in Washington in late July to take up his post, saying great potential awaited bilateral relations
Qin Gang, 55, struck an optimistic tone as he arrived in Washington in late July to take up his post, saying great potential awaited bilateral relations.
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In the last week of July, Sherman held high-level talks in China that ended with both sides signaling that the other must make concessions for ties to improve.
Qin previously served as a vice-foreign minister whose recent past portfolios included European affairs and protocol. He also did two stints as a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman between 2006 and 2014.
He replaced China's longest serving ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, 68, who last month announced his departure after eight years in Washington.
Relations between Beijing and Washington deteriorated sharply under former US president Donald Trump, and since taking office in January, President Joe Biden has maintained pressure on China stepping up the so-called sanctions on Chinese officials.
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