Potential visit of US official welcomed

China welcomes the prospect of a visit by the United States secretary of state, and both countries are in communication over related matters, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

"China welcomes US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to pay a visit to China at a time convenient for both sides," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily media briefing in Beijing, without giving further details.

Tillerson is likely to embark on his debut trip to Asia later this month, visiting Japan, the Republic of Korea and China, possibly meeting Foreign Minister Wang Yi and even more senior Chinese leaders, Japanese media reported on Saturday.

He is expected in Japan on March 17-18 and will meet Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Kyodo News Agency reported. The report was not confirmed by the US State Department, while a spokesman was cited by Reuters as saying: "We don't have any travel plans to announce at this time."

Tillerson has already interacted with Chinese officials since becoming Trump's top diplomat about a month ago.

He held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Feb 17 on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bonn, Germany. Wang said at the meeting that common interests between China and the US far outweigh their differences.

Tillerson also met with State Councilor Yang Jiechi on Feb 28 at the US State Department.

Yang is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit Washington since Trump's inauguration.

The two sides affirmed the importance of a healthy and stable relationship, and agreed to enhance high-level exchanges.

According to acting US State Department spokesman Mark Toner, Yang extended China's invitation for Tillerson to visit Beijing, and Tillerson expressed an interest in doing so in the near future.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the China-US relationship requires effective guidance from the leaders of both countries.

"Tillerson's visit, if realized, will pave the way for a meeting between the two countries' top leaders, where they could express their core concerns face-to-face," Li said.

(China Daily 03/07/2017 page7)