US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing for a high-stakes diplomatic mission to cool rising US-China tensions.
Key meeting: Blinken is the highest-level American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office and will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi.
* Possible meeting with President Xi Jinping is also on the agenda.
* The visit follows a postponed trip in February after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down over the US.
Long-standing issues: The talks will address multiple disagreements and potential conflict points, such as trade with Taiwan, human rights in China, Hong Kong, and Chinese military assertiveness in the South China Sea.
* Both countries’ positions have not shown any inclination of backing down ahead of the meetings.
Efforts to reduce tensions: President Xi and President Biden expressed their commitment to improving communication and increasing cooperation between the two countries.
* Opportunities for further dialogue could come at the G20 leaders’ gathering in September and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.
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