US Builds Coordinated Approach on China as Top Officials Head to Asia

Senior U.S. and Chinese diplomats are set to meet Sunday at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.  

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, the No. 2 American diplomat, will meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and others in Tianjin, China, as part of an Asia trip which includes stops in Japan, South Korea and Mongolia as well as Oman.  "In the context of relationships that are complex, that are challenging, that are dynamic, we believe it's important to maintain open lines of communication between high-level officials. And that includes in times of, as in the case with the PRC (People's Republic of China), sustained competition," said State Department spokesperson Ned Price during a briefing on Wednesday.   Sherman's meetings with Chinese officials come as the Biden administration accuses China of instigating a large-scale hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software. On Monday, the U.S. indicted four Chinese nationals on charges they tried to steal U.S. trade secrets, technology and disease research. China rejected the allegations.