Senior U.S. official to China on rare visit

Daniel Kraytenbrink U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs

A senior U.S. official heads to Beijing on Sunday for a rare visit, the State Department said Saturday, as Washington seeks to ease tensions between the rival powers.

The State Department said in a statement that Daniel Kreitenbrinc, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will travel to China and New Zealand between the fourth and tenth of June.

Krittenbrink will be accompanied by National Security Council Director for China and Taiwan Sarah Peran to "discuss key issues in the bilateral relationship."

Washington has in recent weeks made efforts to improve ties with China, and both sides have warned of the risks of a military conflict over Taiwan.

During a recent visit to Japan, US President Joe Biden predicted a "very near improvement" in relations between Washington and Beijing.

On Saturday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said dialogue between the United States and China was "essential" and would avoid miscalculations that could lead to conflict, after Beijing refused to hold a formal meeting between him and his Chinese counterpart.

Speaking at the Shangri-La conference in Singapore, Austin said that "the United States believes that open lines of communication with the People's Republic of China are essential, particularly between military and defense officials" in both countries.

"The more we talk, the more we can avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to a crisis or conflict," he said.