On October 1st this year, marking the 75th anniversary of the Communist Party of China coming into power, the United States broke tradition by not sending advance congratulations. It wasn’t until a day later that the U.S. State Department issued a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, extending well wishes to the Chinese people for a year of peace, prosperity, and happiness ahead.
According to the official website of the U.S. State Department, on October 2nd, Blinken released a written statement.
The statement expressed congratulations from the United States to the Chinese people. “As we work together with the international community to address the serious obstacles facing the world today, we are committed to responsibly managing our bilateral relationship with the People’s Republic of China and will maintain open channels of communication.”
The statement concluded by wishing the Chinese people a year of peace, prosperity, and happiness ahead.
Reported by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, traditionally, the U.S. State Department would extend congratulations to China prior to the Communist Party’s Founding Day, following the same practice as with all other countries it has diplomatic relations with.
For instance, in the past three years, the U.S. State Department had sent congratulatory messages on September 30, 2021, September 30, 2022, and September 29, 2023. This year’s message arrived three days later compared to last year’s.