US No. 2 Diplomat Sherman to Meet China's New Ambassador on Thursday

WASHINGTON - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet on Thursday with China's new ambassador to Washington, as the world's two largest economies navigate deeply strained relations.   

The meeting between Sherman and Qin Gang will take place in the afternoon at the State Department in Washington, the department said on Wednesday in announcing its public schedule for the following day.    Qin Gang, 55, who has earned a reputation for often pointed public defenses of his country's positions, struck an optimistic tone as he arrived in Washington in late July to take up his post, saying great potential awaited bilateral relations.  In the last week of July, Sherman held high-level talks in China that ended with both sides signaling that the other must make concessions for ties to improve.