This time, the US officially invited Wang Yi to visit the US, and high-ranking officials from China and the US held talks in Washington to formally invite Wang Yi to visit the US

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated on August 1st that the United States has officially invited Wang Yi, who has been reappointed as China's Foreign Minister, to visit Washington.

Invitations issued during the senior officials meeting

Reuters reported that Wang Yi is a senior Chinese diplomat who previously served as a State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is currently a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Working Committee. Last week, Qin Gang was dismissed from his position as Foreign Minister, and Wang Yi was appointed as Foreign Minister.

Miller stated that on July 31st, Assistant Secretary of State for Asia Pacific Affairs Conda of the United States Department of State and Senior Director of China Affairs at the White House National Security Council, Bessaran, held working consultations with Yang Tao, Director of the US Department of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during which they issued the aforementioned invitation. It is said that the US had previously sent an invitation to Qin Gang, but now it has turned to Wang Yi.

Miller did not indicate whether China would accept the invitation. "Of course, we expect them to accept this arrangement, and we also anticipate that this visit will take place, but we have not yet arranged a date."

When asked about the invitation mentioned above, the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to the request for comment.

In addition to issuing invitations, the US State Department stated that Conda, Bessaran, and Yang Tao had "frank, substantive, and productive discussions.".

The statement stated that this meeting aims to maintain open communication channels and responsibly manage bilateral relations. Both sides exchanged views on a series of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including the Ukraine crisis and the Taiwan Strait issue.

The Chinese side's report on this meeting is that both sides had a frank, in-depth, and constructive exchange of views on China US relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

The outside world has noticed that this is the second meeting between Kangda, Bessaran, and Yang Tao after nearly two months. In early June, these two senior US officials visited China, where Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu met and Yang Tao held talks.

The meeting at that time was on the eve of Antony Blinken's visit to China. The senior officials of China and the United States communicated around promoting the improvement of China US relations and properly managing and controlling differences in accordance with the consensus of the Bali meeting between the two heads of state. The Chinese side has clarified its solemn position on major principled issues such as Taiwan.

Expected increase in high-level interaction

If Wang Yi accepts the invitation to visit the United States, it will be another important high-level interaction between China and the United States.

Since June this year, three senior officials of the Biden administration - Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Finance Minister Yellen and President's special envoy on climate issues Kerry have visited China successively. US Commerce Secretary Raymond may also visit China in the near future.

And Wang Yi has also had several rounds of contact with senior US officials this year. In addition to receiving visiting senior US officials and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in Beijing, he also held meetings with Antony Blinken on international occasions such as the Munich Security Conference and the East Asia Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meetings.

Analysis has pointed out that the frequency of interaction between China and the United States has accelerated in recent days, and bilateral relations have shown a positive momentum of returning to the consensus of the two heads of state and calibrating the development direction of the relationship.

In fact, many analysts have predicted that China may enhance high-level interaction with the United States through visits and other means. The New York Times reported in an article last month that it is expected that at least three Chinese ministerial level officials may visit the United States before October. Hu Yishan, Senior Researcher at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said that in the future, the resumption of communication between China and the United States, official visits, and the return visit of Chinese foreign ministers to the United States are all foreseeable.

The public opinion believes that frequent high-level interactions between China and the United States indicate a need for both sides to ease tensions, which brings positive expectations for improving the relationship. This trend needs to be jointly maintained by both parties, and sincerity is a prerequisite for maintaining healthy communication.

Listen to what they say and observe what they do

On the other hand, people also see that while maintaining communication with China, the US continues to make small moves.

The United States is also gathering NATO allies to heavily smear China in the communique

In addition, US President Biden may sign an executive order in mid month to restrict US investment in key technologies in China, which will undermine efforts by both sides to ease tensions.

The Wall Street Journal said that China US relations remain fragile, and "any progress will depend on Washington and Beijing's ability to resist taking tit for tat measures.".

Voice of America, citing analysts, pointed out that the tip of the iceberg in the tense relationship between China and the United States may have "slightly melted", but the iceberg beneath the sea is still deep and undetectable. If the leaders of China and the United States can meet in San Francisco in November, it may inject positive factors into the improvement of bilateral relations.

Joseph Nye, an American political scholar and proposer of the concept of "soft power", recently stated that China and the United States are both major powers and should establish a guiding framework for their relationship. On the one hand, they should set restrictions on competition, and on the other hand, they should seek areas for possible cooperation. If both countries emphasize that the other is a threat, then this argument will become increasingly reinforced. If we demonstrate cooperation, the 'conceptual atmosphere' in Washington and Beijing will change.

Liu Yawei, the director of the China program at the US think tank Carter Center, said that whether the relationship between the two countries can improve "depends on the United States.". "If the United States does one or two things that make China feel that the United States has sincerity, there is hope for stable bilateral relations. If China still believes that the Americans are doing one thing at a time, then the relationship cannot improve."