Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a swooning statement to Beijing Friday in honor of Chinese National Day.
“On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of the People’s Republic of China on the occasion of the 74th National Day on October 1,” Blinken wrote.
Daily Caller Reporter @Dylan_Housman presses State Department Spokesman on Sec. Blinken’s ‘postponed’ trip to China
HOUSMAN: “At what point does it become canceled and not postponed if it’s not rescheduled?”
STATE DEPT. SPOX: “We intend to reschedule this trip when conditions… pic.twitter.com/hCphdorEoa
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) April 10, 2023
“As the United States continues to work with the international community to solve the world’s most serious challenges, we welcome the cooperation of the People’s Republic of China in addressing shared challenges, including the climate crisis, public health, counter-narcotics, food security, and global macroeconomic stability,” Blinken continued.
Blinken traveled to Beijing with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Special Presidential Climate Envoy John Kerry in June to negotiate with China on reestablishing military communication, cooling the ongoing trade war and addressing the climate crisis. However, the visit projected weakness on the world stage, foreign policy experts and public officials claimed. (RELATED: Antony Blinken Scurries Away After Reporter Shouts Out Question On China Trip)
The secretary of state was originally scheduled to visit Beijing earlier this winter. However, a Chinese spy balloon caught flying across the United States caused the trip to be cancelled. Blinken believes “conditions weren’t right” to travel at the time the balloon was spotted, saying “that chapter should be closed” in reference to the incident.
“We wish the people of the People’s Republic of China peace, happiness, and prosperity in the year ahead,” Blinken concluded.
Blinken refused to refer to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator in a June CNN interview following his Beijing trip. He said that China may “do and say things that we don’t like,” emphasizing that the purpose of his trip was to “try to bring a little bit more stability to the relationship.”