Blinken meets Chinese VP as US-China contacts increase ahead of possible summit

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with China’s Vice President Han Zheng on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly as the Biden administration and Beijing step up high-level contacts ahead of what could be a leader-level summit this fall. Their discussion Monday came as China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Moscow meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after wrapping up two days of talks with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta. The quick succession of U.S.-China contacts is fueling speculation that President Joe Biden may meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November at an Asia-Pacific Economic conference in San Francisco.