BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, as the top U.S. diplomat wrapped up a high-stakes two-day visit to Beijing aimed at easing soaring tensions between the countries. “I hope that through this visit, Mr. Secretary, you will make more positive contributions to stabilizing China-US relation,” Xi added. Blinken is the highest-level U.S. official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years. Blinken met earlier Monday with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi for about three hours, according to a U.S. official. In the first round of talks on Sunday, Blinken met for nearly six hours with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang after which both countries said they had agreed to continue high-level discussions.

Source: Daily Sun June 19, 2023 22:36 UTC