Washington
Top Chinese diplomat to visit Washington ahead of possible meeting between Biden and Xi
WASHINGTON – China’s top diplomat will come to Washington Thursday for a three-day visit, the latest move by Washington and Beijing to keep high-level talks open amid tense bilateral relations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan over a range of issues, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Ukraine war and a recent vessel collision in the South China Sea, according to senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the trip.
Wang’s trip will come just about two weeks ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, where it’s possible that President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet. The officials did not confirm the leaders’ meeting, nor did they say if Wang’s visit would prepare for such a meeting. Instead, Wang’s trip was described as reciprocal to Blinken’s visit to Beijing in June.
Beijing has yet to confirm if Xi will travel to San Francisco for the annual APEC summit.
U.S.-China relations have deteriorated rapidly since 2018 over issues such as trade imbalance, human rights in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, the militarization of the South China Sea, the rising pressure on the self-governed island of Taiwan and the pandemic. Last November, Biden and Xi met in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting of leading rich and developing nations. The two sides agreed to resume talks, set up work groups on specific issues and expand person-to-person exchanges.
The relationship had barely warmed up when Washington accused Beijing of flying a spy balloon over the U.S. territory in February, drawing stern protests from Beijing and plunging bilateral relations to another low.
Blinken traveled to Beijing in June, when bilateral relations began to improve. Earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer led a delegation of six senators to China, in the first visit by U.S. lawmakers since 2019. This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom is in China to discuss climate change.
When Wang arrives in Washington, American officials will push China to be more constructive in the Middle East, the senior administration officials said. Earlier this month, Blinken discussed with Wang the the importance of maintaining stability in the region and discouraging other parties from entering the conflict, according to the State Department.
The weekend collisions between Philippine and Chinese vessels off Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea also will be brought up in meetings with Wang, the U.S. officials said. Washington has responded by affirming its support for Manila and criticizing Beijing for its “dangerous and unlawful actions.”
China, however, claimed the shoal to be part of its territory and accused the Philippines of “severely violating China’s territorial sovereignty” by marooning a navy ship there. It vowed to take “necessary measures” to defend China’s sovereignty and maritime interests.
As America contends with China’s rise as a global power, Biden has called for “guardrails” to manage bilateral relations, but China has rejected them. Instead, it has demanded a “different kind of great power relationship” by which the U.S. must respect China’s core interests.
While Wang’s visit won’t solve any differences, it’s part of the U.S. diplomatic effort toward open communications to minimize risks, the American officials said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Biggest Mega Millions win of all-time, Publix grocery store in Florida in 2023
The biggest Mega Millions win of all-time is $1.58 billion, won in Florida in 2023.
Another multimillionaire is born.
One lucky player in Washington state won $7.4 million after hitting the jackpot in the Lotto game, Washington’s Lottery announced in a June 6 news release.
The player, whose name was not released, purchased the ticket at the QFC in Enumclaw at 1009 Monroe Avenue for the May 14, 2025, drawing, the release said.
The retailer gets a selling bonus of $74,000 and intends to donate $20,000 to the Enumclaw Food Bank, according to the release.
“It’s not every day a winning ticket is sold in your store, and our team wanted to do something special,” Brent Stewart, president at QFC, said in the release. “Donating to the Enumclaw Food Bank is the perfect way to live out our purpose to feed the human spirit and help people in our community.”
The win comes after a Mega Millions ticket worth $2 million was sold in Washington for a drawing in April.
What is the Lotto game?
Lotto is a Washington state jackpot game, according to Washington’s Lottery.
The cost of a ticket is $1, and players pick two sets of six numbers between 1 and 49. Alternately, players can have numbers selected for them with the Quick Pick system.
Jackpots start at $1 million and grow until a player hits all six numbers.
Can lottery winners in Washington remain anonymous?
Washington’s Lottery is a public agency subject to the Washington Public Records Act, according to the agency’s website. The names of lottery winners may be revealed through public records requests, even if a trust is established.
With no immediate signs of work resuming at Washington Square, city and county staffers are recommending negotiations with the developer of the failed condominium project to compel him to repair public roads and sidewalks surrounding what has become a downtown eyesore.
As of May 1, city code enforcement and permit violations reached more than $413,350 in fines and commissioners voted last month to “take legal action to foreclose code liens and seek recovery of other legal remedies,” city documents said.
Aside from the liens, both city and county staffers have had discussions with property owner Ken McDermott regarding “restoration of the sidewalks and traffic lanes that were closed on Gadsden (Leon County road), Calhoun (Leon County road) and Jefferson (city road).”
On June 11, city commissioners will take up whether to enter into an agreement.
“If the city and developer can agree on the restoration work, the terms can be incorporated into a written agreement,” city documents said. “This agreement could be joint with the county (and include the county right-of-way) or could be solely with the city (and specific to Jefferson Street).”
The mixed-use project was once a promising development billed as downtown’s next big thing with proposed office space, a garage and a Loews Hotel. Construction began in late 2019 but work came to a screeching halt by May 2020.
What followed were lawsuits with the city regarding easement disputes and contractors stating they hadn’t been paid for the full scope of services. The development, which occupies a city block on Calhoun Street, is now a graffiti-tagged eyesore with rusted rebar jetting out of cement.
Work hasn’t picked up in five years, despite hints as of last year from McDermott that there was early interest from undisclosed parties to erect a scaled-down development on the site.
“This time, early plans describe a seven-story hotel with 160 rooms and 100 apartments at 219 S. Calhoun St. (formerly the site of the Ausley and McMullen law firm) compared to the property’s original grand plan for 270+ hotel rooms, office space and a four-story garage,” an August 2024 article in the Tallahassee Democrat stated.
At its June 10 meeting, county commissioners will decide whether to direct staff to enter into an agreement for restoration work for the county’s right-of-way areas.
The work, at the developer’s expense, would include milling, resurfacing and restriping, planting vegetation and removing all materials from the right-of-way that may include fencing and barricades. The county notes “McDermott is willing to complete the restoration work as quickly as possible.”
“Should the present negotiations with the owner and developer fail, or should the owner and developer enter into the agreement and thereafter fail to perform, the County Attorney recommends that the Board authorize staff to file a lawsuit against the Developer and Owner on behalf the County seeking all legal remedies available at law and equity,” county document said.
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
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