Secretary of State Blinken meets with China’s Xi Jinping to stabilize relations 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday met with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a rare visit to Beijing in order to stabilize the relationship between the two countries as tensions continue to rise. 

Blinken met with Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, a venue reserved for when heads of state visit the Asian Giant. During the 35-minute meeting, the two men stressed the importance of maintaining a stable relationship between the world’s two largest economies, saying that any conflict could create global disruption. 

Yet despite verbally agreeing that the two countries should get along, no major breakthroughs were achieved. The two sides continued to “profoundly disagree” on several issues, including Taiwan, the chip industry, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and human rights. 

"I stressed that direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage our differences and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. And I heard the same from Chinese counterparts. We both agree on the need to stabilize our relationship," Blinken said after his visit. 

Blinken was the first U.S. Secretary of State to visit China since 2018. His trip had originally been intended for February but was postponed after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was intercepted flying through U.S. airspace. Blink also met with China’s top diplomat Want Yi and Foreign Minister Qin Gang. 

According to U.S. President Joe Biden, Blinken did “a hell of a job” during his visit. “We’re on the right trail here,” he said to reporters during a trip to California. 

Despite the lack of a major breakthroughs, U.S. officials hope Blinken’s visit can pave the way for more bilateral meetings, including trips by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and even possibly a meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping.