Biden to host Dutch PM with China, Ukraine on agenda

Washington has been trying to get the Netherlands on the same page since the US Commerce Department announced in October new export controls aimed at China…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden will host Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the White House for talks as Washington is making efforts to push Netherlands to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors with export curbs, media reported.

White House said Tuesday’s wide-ranging talks are also expected to cover the countries’ efforts to thwart Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine and an upcoming democracy summit, Associate Press reported.

Washington has been trying to get the Netherlands on the same page since the US Commerce Department announced in October new export controls aimed at China, it reported.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit China on February 5-6, according to US-based Politico report.

Blinken’s agenda is expected to include Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s nuclear arsenal and US citizens held in China, the report said. The newspaper reported citing Washington-based diplomats familiar with Blinken’s travel plans that the US state secretary will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on February 5-6.

Blinken’s visit to Beijing is a follow-up to US leader Joe Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia in November 2022, at which Biden vowed to “maintain open lines of communication” with China.

The trip will also test whether the meeting between the two presidents has paved the way for more productive US-China relations at a time of tensions.

Neither US State Department nor the Chinese government has released details of Blinken’s upcoming Beijing visit, according to Politico.

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