Blinken to fly to Beijing for high-stakes diplomacy after spy balloon saga

cnbc.com:

BEIJING — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to travel to Beijing this weekend in his first trip to China under the Biden administration.

Delayed by more than four months, Blinken's trip marks a rare high-level meeting between the U.S. and China in a period of heightened tension.

Little is expected to emerge from the talks themselves. But Blinken's Beijing visit helps pave the way for additional meetings — including a potential one-to-one between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this year.

Blinken's Beijing trip is a «potential important turning point in the relationship,» Scott Kennedy, senior advisor and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC.

«Just simply strengthening communication is a reasonable goal,» he said. «If [both sides] announce the talks went well enough they can schedule additional cabinet-level meetings.»

Communication and meetings between the U.S. and China have dried up in the last few years due to the pandemic and political tensions.

The U.S. Department of State said Blinken is set to meet with «senior [People's Republic of China] officials where he will discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage the U.S.-PRC relationship.»

Blinken «will also raise bilateral issues of concern, global and regional matters, and potential cooperation on shared transnational challenges,» department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the visit but did not provide details on specific meetings.

Expectations for a significant recovery in the U.S.-China relationship, especially as a result of Blinken's