Blinken arrives in Beijing for high-stakes visit to China

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived successful Beijing for 2 days of meetings with Chinese officials.

The travel marks the archetypal sojourn by an American diplomat to China successful astir 5 years.

US officials accidental the main extremity of the talks is to stabilise a narration that has go highly tense.

It comes astir 5 months aft an earlier Blinken sojourn was postponed, pursuing the formation of a suspected Chinese spy balloon successful US airspace.

The US has been lowering expectations for the sojourn and some sides person made wide they bash not expect immoderate large breakthrough.

The goal, US officials say, is to reopen lines of high-level connection and stabilise relations that person go strained since the balloon incident.

China has staged subject exercises adjacent Taiwan, which Beijing views arsenic an integral portion of China. The US maintains adjacent ties with Taiwan's democratically-elected government.

There is simply a afloat agenda, including meetings with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and elder Chinese overseas argumentation authoritative Wang Yi.

The warfare successful Ukraine, commercialized disputes implicit precocious machine technologies, the fentanyl cause epidemic successful the US and Chinese quality rights behaviour are each topics the Americans expect to beryllium discussed.

Chinese officials person reacted coolly to Mr Blinken's visit, questioning whether the US is sincere successful its efforts to mend relations.

It is not wide whether helium volition conscionable Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mr Blinken is the highest-ranking US authorities authoritative to sojourn China since President Joe Biden took bureau successful January 2021.

"If we privation to marque sure, arsenic we do, that the contention that we person with China doesn't veer into conflict, the spot you commencement is with communicating," Mr Blinken told reporters connected Friday.

Later helium said helium hoped to conscionable President Xi successful the adjacent respective months.

A gathering betwixt President Biden and Xi Jinping successful November concisely eased fears of a caller Cold War, but since the balloon incidental high-level connection betwixt the 2 leaders has been rare.