MENDING FENCES

Report: Top Chinese Diplomat to Visit U.S. on Monday

A meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly at the top of the agenda.

China’s most senior diplomat is due to visit the U.S. on Monday and Tuesday, the first high-level visit since President Donald Trump took office, China’s state media reported Sunday. State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who holds a higher post than the Chinese foreign minister, is reportedly coming after having a telephone conversation last week with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The two agreed in that phone call that a constructive relationship between the U.S. and China was of primary importance, China’s Xinhua news agency reported. The visit comes after Trump got off to a rocky start with China, angering Beijing in December by taking part in a phone chat with Taiwan’s leader. Beijing scolded Trump after the incident and stressed the importance of Washington abiding by the “one China” policy, under which Taiwan is a part of China and not its own sovereign territory. Xinhua’s report on Jiechi’s visit also cited a researcher as saying a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping would be at the top of the agenda.