Blinken arrives in China for high-stakes meetings 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken started high-stakes meetings in Beijing on Sunday amid tensions between China and the United States.

Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and will attend a working dinner with the foreign minister. Blinken spoke on the phone with Qin last week ahead of his trip to discuss “the importance of maintaining open lines of communication,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

The Associated Press reported that neither Qin or Blinken made substantial comments to reporters ahead of their first meeting on Sunday. The news service also noted that Blinken will meet with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and potentially Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been growing as the two countries compete for global influence. Their relationship has also been strained by numerous crises, including close military confrontations in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, the spy balloon incident last February and recent reporting that China has been spying on the U.S. from Cuba for years.

Blinken’s trip to Beijing comes after he canceled his initial trip in February over the Chinese surveillance balloon that crossed the United States before being shot down. With this trip, he has become the first secretary of State in five years to travel to China.

On Saturday, President Biden said the spy balloon incident was more “embarrassing” for China “than it was intentional.”

“And so, I’m hoping that, over the next several months, I’ll be meeting with [Chinese leader] Xi [Jinping] again and talking about legitimate differences we have but also how there’s areas we can get along,” Biden added.

Ahead of his trip, Blinken spoke with Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Hayashi Yoshimasa and Foreign Minister Park Jin. In comments made to Park, Blinken emphasized the need for China to use its power to “encourage Pyongyang to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy.” 

Blinken will be in China Sunday and Monday before leaving to travel to London.