China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Washington this week to meet with US State Secretary John Kerry and other US officials, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

Wang will be in the US from Tuesday to Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said during a regular press briefing in Beijing.  The trip will mark the first time Wang is visiting the US in an official capacity, she added.

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"At the invitation of US Secretary of State John Kerry, Foreign Minister Wang Yi will pay an official visit to the US from February 23 to 25," Hua said.  "The two sides will discuss China-US relations, as well as international and regional issues of common interest."

Security Interests

Hua said Wang and Kerry are likely to discuss issues concerning North Korea and the pending United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Pyongyang for its rocket launch in January.

"We support the UN Security Council in passing new and effective resolutions on the DPRK, and call on all parties to refrain from actions that may heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula," Hua said.

She reiterated China's opposition to the possible deployment of US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems on the Korean Peninsula.

"We maintain that countries must not pursue their own security at the expense of others' security interests," Hua said. "We are firmly opposed to any country's attempt to hurt China's strategic security interests by making use of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue."    

Common Interests

Asked whether Wang and Kerry will also be discussing the South China Sea and recent allegations that China has deployed missiles in the disputed Paracels, Hua said the US is not a party to the disputes over the islands, and there should be no issue between Washington and Beijing over China's defensive positions there. 

"To safeguard peace and stability of the South China Sea serves the common interests of China, the US and all relevant parties," Hua said.

Beijing and Washington accused each other of militarizing the South China Sea last week in the wake of reports that China had deployed HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracel island group disputed by Beijing, Hanoi and Taipei.

 "We hope the US side would live up to its commitment of not taking sides on relevant disputes concerning territorial sovereignty, stop sensationalizing the South China Sea issue, stop hyping up tensions and work constructively for regional peace and stability, rather than the opposite," said Hua.

TagsUS-China relations, foreign minister Wang Yi, John Kerry