Blinken to meet China's Xi Jinping in Beijing in effort to cool tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to conscionable with Chinese President Xi Jinping connected Monday, arsenic the apical U.S. diplomat wraps up his uncommon two-day sojourn to Beijing amid simmering U.S.-China tensions.

Blinken volition conscionable with Xi astatine 4:30 p.m. section time, according to a State Department official.

The travel by Blinken makes him the highest-level American authoritative to sojourn China since Joe Biden became U.S. president and the archetypal U.S. caput of State to marque the travel successful astir 5 years. A gathering with Xi had not been confirmed earlier Blinken arrived successful Beijing, and volition apt beryllium seen arsenic a affirmative motion that talks are going well.

Blinken met apical Chinese diplomat Wang Yi connected Monday, aft "candid, substantive, and constructive talks" with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang connected Sunday.

Wang stressed that the Blinken sojourn came astatine a captious juncture successful Sino-U.S. relations, in a statement released by the Chinese overseas ministry translated via Google. He said some parties indispensable take betwixt practice and conflict, adding that the difficulties successful the countries' ties are rooted successful the U.S.' "erroneous cognition of China, which leads to incorrect policies towards China."

Wang further urged Washington to springiness up its alleged "China menace theory," to assistance sanctions against Beijing and to nary longer suppress China's technological development.

The State Department did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

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