US invites new Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Washington

The United States Department of State, or simply the State Department, has formally invited the People's Republic of China's recently reappointed Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Washington, following the unexpected removal of Wang's predecessor from his office by China.

China reappointed Wang last week, replacing erstwhile rising star Qin Gang, who had been missing for more than a month – an unexplained absence after only seven months in the post.

According to reports and sources, Qin was absent from work due to health issues. Wang was invited during a meeting at the State Department on Monday between US Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Yang Tao, Director-General of North American and Oceania Affairs at China's Foreign Ministry.

Matthew Miller, State Department spokesperson, reportedly said, "In the meeting yesterday, we extended the invitation that had previously been made to foreign minister Qin Gang and made clear that invitation did transfer over.”

It is not yet clear whether China has accepted the invitation. A spokesperson for China's Washington embassy confirmed that the US and Chinese officials discussed China-US relations as well as various issues of mutual interest.

In June this year, Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State, met Qin on the first visit by a US top diplomat to China in five years. Reportedly, Blinken also invited Qin to the US to have discussions on various topics.

The United States secretary of state also met Wang on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

According to the United Nations Comtrade Database, the United States imported $ 575.69 billion worth of goods from China last year. 

In recent months, Blinken, US Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen and US Climate Envoy John Kerry have visited China to mend fences between the two countries. Reportedly, US and Chinese officials also held talks.