US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday for talks with the Chinese government. The US and China want to ease tensions between them. This is the first visit by a top US diplomat to China in five years.
Blinken’s trip was planned for February, but was postponed at the last minute due to a row surrounding a Chinese balloon flying over the United States.
Blinken’s tour will last until June 19. During that trip, he is expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, top Chinese official Wang Yi and possibly President Xi Jinping.
The countries say they want to prevent the strategic rivalry between the two countries from leading to armed conflict.
Other countries are closely following Blinken’s journey. Any escalation between superpowers can have global consequences, such as financial markets and trade.
Last week, in a conversation with Blinken, Qin complained that relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the beginning of this year because of the US. “Both sides realize that we need high-level communication channels,” a senior US official told the Beijing News Agency en route to Beijing. Reuters.