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Antony Blinken has become the first US secretary of state to visit China for five years, after he landed in Beijing for talks aimed at tackling tensions between the two countries.
The meetings, which will take place over two days, began today when Mr Blinken sat down with the Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang.
A working dinner is planned for later in the day, and the secretary of state will hold further discussions with Mr Qin, as well as China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and possibly President Xi Jinping, tomorrow.
There is broad scepticism that the talks will have any effect on the widening gulf between politicians in the world’s two largest economies.
The list of disagreements is long, with issues such as trade with Taiwan, accusations of genocide against Uyghur Muslims, and Russia’s war in Ukraine all causing splits.
Among the points expected to be raised by Mr Blinken in the discussions are the export of fentanyl precursors that are contributing to the US opioid epidemic and the potential release of American citizens detained in China.
However, neither side has hinted that there is much room for negotiation.
In a recent meeting with US billionaire Bill Gates, Mr Xi did suggest he supported a broad target of improving relations, saying cooperation would ‘benefit our two countries’.
He told Mr Gates: ‘Under the current world situation, we can carry out various activities that benefit our two countries, the people of our countries, and the entire human race.’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing (Picture: AFP)
Mr Blinken’s visit to China was the first by a US secretary of state since 2018 (Picture: AFP)
On Saturday, President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House that he hoped ‘over the next several months, I’ll be meeting with Xi again and talking about legitimate differences we have, but also how… to get along.’
The current visit is the second attempt this year, after talks were cancelled within a day of Mr Blinken flying out in February following the diplomatic tumult caused by the discovery of what the US said was a Chinese spy balloon flying over its land.
The balloon was later shot down off the coast of South Carolina, ending an incident that significantly soured an already tense political relationship.
Since then, some efforts have been made to improve the diplomatic situation, with Mr Biden’s CIA chief William Burns travelling to China last month while the Chinese commerce minister Wang Wentao visited Washington.
The last time a US secretary of state visited Beijing was in October 2018, when Donald Trump’s top diplomat Mike Pompeo received a frosty reception.
Mr Pompeo was later sanctioned by China after leaving office, with Beijing citing high-profile arms sales to Taiwan by the Trump administration.
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Antony Blinken will have a working dinner with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang later today.