TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will affirm U.S. support for regional peace in the Taiwan Strait during his visit to China, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink said on Wednesday (June 14).

Blinken will be in China for a two-day trip from July 18-19.

“I think you can anticipate that the secretary will reiterate America’s abiding interest in the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Kritenbrink said during a Department of State special briefing. Taiwan Strait issues “have always been among the most important and challenging and sensitive issues between the United States and China,” he added.

Kritenbrink said this will be the first time Blinken has been to China as secretary of state and the first secretary of state visit to the country since 2018. During his trip, Blinken will hold a series of meetings with top Chinese officials in Beijing.

There are three overall goals for this trip, Kritenbrink said. First, Blinken intends to establish open communication channels “to discuss important challenges, address misperceptions, and prevent miscalculation.”

Second, the secretary will defend U.S. values and interests, bring up concerns on a number of issues, and discuss regional and global security challenges. Third, the secretary will seek potential cooperation in areas such as climate and the economy, as well as increased exchanges between the two peoples.

“Our primary focus, again, is to have candid, direct, and constructive discussions on all three of these fronts,” the assistant secretary said.

Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said that when it comes to engaging with China, the U.S. aims to “manage the competition” and cooperate wherever possible while maintaining clear communication.

Campbell pointed out that in the past two years, the number of countries and organizations that have expressed support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait has increased. “That is a significant development, a very clear statement of global concern about this set of issues,” he said, adding, “I think the United States seeks a clear, bipartisan, strong determination to maintain peace and stability…”

Blinken’s trip comes as U.S.-China relations are at an all-time low. Last month, CIA director William Burns traveled to China to meet with his counterparts and open lines of communication in intelligence channels.

On May 23, the new ambassador to the U.S., Xie Feng (謝鋒), said China hopes to work with the U.S. “to increase dialogue, to manage differences and also to expand our cooperation so that our relationship will be back to the right track,” per CNN.

Xie said he hopes to improve bilateral ties amid “serious difficulties and challenges.”

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s defense ministry is preparing to conduct its annual Han Kuang exercise next month from July 24-28. On Tuesday (June 13), it also released its latest civil defense manual that includes directions on how to make an emergency evacuation kit in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.