Senior US State Department official arrived in Beijing for meetings in coming week

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A senior US State Department official arrived in Beijing on Sunday with meetings planned for the coming week as Washington seeks to boost communication with China at a time of tense relations between the two countries.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will discuss “key issues in the bilateral relationship” during his visit to China, the State Department said in a statement on Saturday.

He will be joined by the White House National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan affairs, Sarah Beran, it said.