U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday presided over the launching of the U.S. State Department's Office of China Coordination, informally known as China House, to manage U.S. competition with Beijing.

In a statement, the State Department said the office will oversee U.S. President Joe Biden's vision for an “open, inclusive international system” and the administration's approach to China.

The State Department says China House is a key component of Blinken's “modernization agenda,” equipping it with “the talent, the tools and resources” to execute U.S. policy toward China in the next decade, as the “most complex and consequential geopolitical challenge we face.”

It will bring together a group of China experts from throughout the department and beyond, along with experts in international security, economics, technology, multilateral diplomacy and strategic communications.

The State Department said this improved coordination will mean nimbler, more consistent policy, better positioning the department to work with U.S. allies and partners and “engage even more deeply with every country” with which it works. (VOA)

•PHOTO:FILE - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at George Washington University in Washington, May 26, 2022, outlining the administration's policy toward China at an event hosted by the Asia Society.