In Blinken meetings, China signals new point man on US relations is vice-foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu
- Ma’s seat next to Chinese foreign minister and top diplomat at their meetings with US secretary of state seen as indication of new crucial role
- While tense US ties will see Ma’s work cut out, a lack of direct North American affairs experience will not be an issue, observer says
Ma was seated next to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi when they met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken separately in Beijing earlier this week, indicating that he had taken on the role.
He was also the highest-ranking Chinese official to meet Daniel Kritenbrink, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, and Sarah Beran, the White House National Security Council senior director for China and Taiwan, when they visited Beijing earlier this month.
His new role is in keeping with Chinese diplomatic tradition, where a vice-foreign minister is usually assigned to oversee US ties. In guiding dealings with Washington, the incumbent will generally work closely with the foreign minister, the ambassador to the United States, as well as the ministry’s North American and Oceanian affairs chief.
Ma’s role will be especially crucial in the present climate, amid attempts to maintain dialogue as tensions reach unprecedented heights. Bilateral fence-mending meetings have revealed the same grievances that have rocked relations for years, such as the issue of Taiwan, tit-for-tat sanctions and Beijing’s military advancement.
