US Secretary of State, Chinese Foreign Minister to meet on Friday

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

The US State Department said it was part of Washington’s ongoing efforts to “maintain open lines of communication and manage competition responsibly.”

The meeting comes days after Biden said US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, drawing an angry response from China that said it sent the wrong signal to those seeking an independent Taiwan. In a phone call with Biden in July, China’s leader Xi Jinping warned about Taiwan, saying “those who play with fire will perish by it.”