Before the talks, US officials saw little chance of any breakthrough on the long list of disputes between the world\u2019s two largest economies, which range from trade and US efforts to hold back China\u2019s semiconductor industry, to the status of self-governed Taiwan and Beijing\u2019s human rights record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe secretary raised a number of issues of concern, as well as opportunities to explore cooperation on shared transnational issues \u2026 where our interests align,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blinken invited Qin to visit Washington, DC \u201cto continue the discussions, and they agreed to schedule a reciprocal visit at a mutually suitable time\u201d, he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The top American diplomat\u2019s two-day trip comes amid frosty bilateral ties<\/a> and follows the discovery of a suspected spy balloon<\/a> above the US in February that prompted him to delay the trip planned the same month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With China and the US at odds on an array of issues from trade to technology and regional security, both countries have voiced guarded hopes of improving communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brendon O\u2019Connor from the University of Sydney said the US has a lot to do to repair relations with China, including \u201ca lot more lines of communication being opened up\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDiplomacy is desperately needed at the moment and the visit itself is a good thing by Antony Blinken. But I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to thaw relations dramatically,\u201d O\u2019Connor told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blinken, the highest-level American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office, will have more senior level contacts with the Chinese on Monday, including potentially with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden played down the balloon episode<\/a> as Blinken headed to China, saying: \u201cI don\u2019t think the leadership knew where it was and knew what was in it and knew what was going on. I think it was more embarrassing than it was intentional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Biden said he hoped to again meet Xi after a lengthy meeting<\/a> in November on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, where the two agreed on Blinken\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m hoping that, over the next several months, I\u2019ll be meeting with [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] again and talking about legitimate differences we have but also how there\u2019s areas we can get along,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n\n\n The two leaders are likely to attend the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi, and Xi has been invited to travel to San Francisco in November when the US hosts leaders from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A recent phone call between Blinken and Qin underlined the heightened tensions between the two sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeijing is looking for assurances from the US that it won\u2019t meddle into its domestic affairs, that it won\u2019t cross the red lines of its core interests<\/a>, particularly Taiwan,\u201d said Al Jazeera\u2019s Katrina Yu, reporting from the Chinese capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But expectations of any major breakthroughs from the visit are low, Yu added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t mean that it is not significant, especially as China\u2019s neighbours are very worried that the relationship has gone so bad that there is a danger of tensions spiralling out of control into some sort of open conflict,\u201d Yu said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2018Areas we can get along\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Overlapping\"](\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/INTERACTIVE_South-China-Sea-claims-02.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C770&quality=80\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\u2018Spiralling out of control\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n