WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with China’s President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing next week, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the plans.
Blinken will discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine with Chinese officials during a Feb. 5-6 trip to China, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.
U.S.-China relations have been tense over issues like security, Taiwan, trade, the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and dominance in the Asia Pacific.
The United States has warned the Chinese government of consequences should China provide weaponry to Russia for use against Ukraine.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Rami Ayyub; editing by David Gregorio)