US, China see path to more stable ties after Blinken's 'constructive' visit

The United States and China have agreed to expand dialogue to bring relations back from historic lows, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken held what officials called candid talks on soaring tensions during a rare trip to Beijing.

The highest-ranking US visitor to Beijing in nearly five years, Blinken spoke to his Chinese counterpart for seven and a half hours on Sunday –– an hour more than expected –– at an ornate state villa, including over a banquet dinner.

The two sides said Foreign Minister Qin Gang agreed to pay a return visit to Washington at a later date and that the two top diplomats would work together to expand flights between the world's two largest economies.

Blinken stressed "the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, calling the talks "candid, substantive and constructive".

Blinken will hold a second day of meetings Monday and address reporters before leaving.

Taiwan issue

Behind closed doors, Qin told Blinken that relations between the United States and China "are at the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations", according to state-run broadcaster CCTV.

"This does not conform to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, nor does it meet the common expectations of the international community," Qin said during the talks at the ancient Diaoyutai gardens.

But he issued a warning on Taiwan, the self-ruling democracy claimed by Beijing, which has launched live-fire military drills twice near the island since August in anger over actions by top US lawmakers.

"The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests, the most important issue in China-US relations and the most prominent risk," Qin said.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the discussions went beyond the usual talking points, including on Taiwan.

"This was a real conversation," he said.

Blinken is the first top US diplomat to visit Beijing since a stop in 2018 by his predecessor Mike Pompeo, who later championed no-holds-barred confrontation with China in the final years of Donald Trump's presidency.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are likely to attend the next G20 summit, in September in New Delhi.

Xi is also invited to travel to San Francisco in November when the United States hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.