US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday morning, on the highestprofile visit by a US diplomat since 2018 and aimed at trying to ease bilateral tensions.
During his twoday visit to China, Blinken is expected to hold a highstakes meeting aimed at stabilizing a relationship under historic stress.
Blinken's visit was originally scheduled for February, but was suddenly canceled at the time after a Chinese balloon flew over American territory, which Washington considered to be for "espionage" purposes, while Beijing confirmed that it was a meteorological vehicle that deviated from its course.
Speaking in Washington before his departure, Blinken wanted to be somewhat optimistic. He said this twoday visit should "open direct lines of communication so that our two countries can responsibly manage our relationship, including by addressing some challenges and bad perceptions and in order to avoid miscalculations." He added that "intense competition requires continuous diplomacy to ensure that it does not turn into a confrontation or conflict" because "the world expects the cooperation of the United States and China." Ahead of Blinkens visit, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the US needed to "respect Chinas core concerns" and work together with Beijing.
Source: Qatar News Agency