- By Marita Moloney in London and Anthony Zurcher in Beijing
- BBC news
Antony Blinken, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, is the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden’s administration to visit China
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held “frank” and “constructive” talks with China’s Foreign Minister in Beijing at the start of two days of meetings with Chinese officials, the US State Department said.
Mr Blinken stressed diplomacy and maintaining “open channels of communication” added US officials.
The trip, the first by a US diplomat to China in nearly five years, comes months after an earlier visit by Blinken was postponed when a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew into the airspace of US.
US officials say the main goal of the talks is to strengthen a relationship that has become extremely tense.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Mr Blinken that Beijing is committed to building a stable, predictable and constructive relationship with the US, state media said. US officials said he agreed to visit Washington for talks.
Qin greeted Mr Blinken on Sunday morning at the Diaoyutai State Guest House, a luxury estate that often hosts visiting dignitaries.
The two shook hands while standing in front of their respective flags, then sat down with their delegations at high tables to begin their meetings.
The greeting was businesslike, underscoring the frosty relationship that has developed between the two superpowers in recent years.
The US lowered expectations for the trip and both sides made it clear that they did not expect any major breakthroughs.
The goal, US officials said, is to reopen high-level lines of communication and strengthen ties that have been strained since the balloon incident.
China has been conducting military exercises near Taiwan, which Beijing views as an integral part of China. The US maintains close ties to Taiwan’s democratically elected government.
There were talks following a full agenda, including meetings with Qin Gang and senior Chinese foreign policy official Wang Yi.
The war in Ukraine, trade disputes over advanced computer technologies, the fentanyl drug epidemic in the US and China’s human rights behavior are all topics Americans expect to be discussed.
Chinese officials reacted coolly to Mr Blinken’s visit, questioning whether the US was sincere in its efforts to mend ties.
It is unclear whether he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Blinken is the highest-ranking US government official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.
“If we want to make sure, as we do, that the competition we have with China doesn’t turn into conflict, the place you start is talking,” Mr Blinken told reporters on Friday.
He later said he hopes to meet with President Xi in the next few months.
A meeting between President Biden and Xi Jinping in Bali in November briefly eased fears of a new Cold War, but since the balloon incident high-level communication between the two leaders has been rare.
