Blinken is the first secretary of state to travel to China in five years and the most senior US official to make such a mission since President Joe Biden took office in early 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Observers will be closely watching for whether a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping is on the cards. Previous trips by America\u2019s top diplomat have often involved a face to face with China\u2019s top leader, but relations are at their lowest in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials from both governments have signaled low expectations<\/a> for the visit, with a senior State Department official telling reporters earlier this week that he does not expect \u201ca long list of deliverables.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, US officials are framing the trip as an effort to resume normal channels of communication with China in order to avoid conflict between two of the globe\u2019s great powers. Blinken\u2019s primary goal in China is to reestablish channels of communication, especially direct military-to-military communication between Washington and Beijing, according to a senior State Department official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His retinue touched down in Beijing on Sunday with a full schedule for the first day which began with meeting China\u2019s foreign minister, Qin Gang, who took up the post six months ago after ending a stint as Beijing\u2019s ambassador to Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blinken and Qin shook hands in front of reporters at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on Sunday afternoon, their first in-person meeting in their current positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two officials exchanged terse pleasantries in English about the US delegation\u2019s flight over before heading into a brightly lit meeting room, with large windows looking out to a lotus pond and a large Chinese traditional ink painting on the wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the meeting, which lasted for more than five hours, Blinken invited Qin to visit Washington and the invitation was accepted, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said in a readout of the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Secretary invited Foreign Minister Qin to Washington to continue discussions, and they agreed to schedule a reciprocal visit at a mutually suitable time,\u201d Miller said, adding that Blinken had emphasized the \u201cimportance of diplomacy and maintaining channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blinken also expressed US concerns on a number of fronts and opportunities to work together with China where interests align, Miller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n US officials who took part in the meeting included Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Chinese side, Qin was accompanied by other foreign ministry officials, including Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n On the whole, Sunday\u2019s meeting was \u201cdirect\u201d and resulted in progress \u201con a number of fronts\u201d with both sides showing a \u201cdesire to reduce tensions,\u201d a senior State Department official told reporters. But \u201cprofound differences\u201d between the US and China were also clear during the meeting, the official added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo one was under any preconception that we were going solve all of the difficult issues in one meeting or two meetings,\u201d the official added, noting that it was important to start the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing that the two sides agreed on was the need to expand flights between the two countries, US officials said. But they did not share any agreements on that topic, or any other substantive topic, with reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the afternoon meeting, Blinken moved on to a working dinner with Qin, the US State Department told the traveling press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, Blinken is scheduled for a meeting with China\u2019s top diplomat Wang Yi, as well as roundtable talks with American exchange students and business leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Biden administration\u2019s relationship with Beijing is one of its most complicated and consequential, and one that has seen months of strain, including two military-related incidents in recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden and Xi met in person for the first time as presidents on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Indonesia last November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re working to do on this trip is to really carry forward what President Biden and President Xi agreed to in Bali at the end of last year, which was to establish sustained, regular lines of communication at senior levels across our governments precisely so that we can make sure that we are communicating as clearly as possible to avoid, as best possible, misunderstandings and miscommunications,\u201d Blinken said Friday prior to his departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMeeting with foreign minister<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Strained relationship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"US](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/230617200911-01-blinken-beijing-arrival-061823.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n