US State Dept. Official Visits China Amid Tensions

The Chinese warship provocation comes as a senior U.S. State Department official is in China. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, landed in Beijing Sunday. The State Department says he will discuss "key issues in the bilateral relationship" during his visit. This comes as Washington seeks to boost communication with China at a time of tense relations between the two countries. Officials announced the trip just hours after U.S.  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke in Singapore at Asia’s top security summit. Where he blasted China for refusing to hold military talks over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Critics also have criticized the Biden Administration for the timing in the latest diplomatic visit, because Sunday, June 4th, marks the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. That's when the Chinese military opened fire on pro-democracy protesters—killing hundreds, possibly thousands.