Antony Blinken hails 'candid' talks on high stakes China trip

Antony Blinken, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday, is the highest-ranking member of President Joe Biden's administration to visit China

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held "candid" talks with his Chinese counterpart at the start of two days of meetings with officials in China, the US state department says.

Mr Blinken emphasised the need for diplomacy and keeping "open channels of communication", a statement added.

His trip is the first by a top US diplomat to China in almost five years.

A planned Blinken visit in February was called off after a suspected Chinese spy balloon flew in US airspace.

US officials say the main goal of the Beijing talks is to stabilise a relationship that has become extremely tense.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Mr Blinken that Beijing was committed to building a stable, predictable and constructive relationship with the US, state media said. US officials said he had agreed to a visit to Washington at the talks.

Mr Qin said Taiwan was the "most prominent risk" for China-US relations and described the Taiwan issue as one of "China's core interests", state media said.

China sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be under Beijing's control, but Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland with its own constitution and leaders. US President Joe Biden said last year that the US would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack from China, a move condemned by Beijing.

Mr Qin greeted Mr Blinken on Sunday morning at the Diaoyutai State Guest House, a lavish estate that typically hosts visiting dignitaries.

The two shook hands as they stood before their respective flags, then sat down with their delegations at long tables to begin their meetings.

The greeting was business-like, underscoring the chilly relations that have developed between the two superpowers in recent years.

• Three key priorities in crucial US-China talks

The US had been lowering expectations for the trip and both sides have made clear they do not expect any major breakthrough.

The war in Ukraine, trade disputes over advanced computer technologies, the fentanyl drug epidemic in the US and Chinese human rights conduct are all topics the Americans were expecting to be discussed.

Chinese officials have reacted coolly to Mr Blinken's visit, questioning whether the US is sincere in its efforts to mend relations.

It is not clear whether he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Mr Blinken is the highest-ranking US government official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office in January 2021.

"If we want to make sure, as we do, that the competition that we have with China doesn't veer into conflict, the place you start is with communicating," Mr Blinken told reporters on Friday.

Later he said he hoped to meet President Xi in the next few months.

A meeting between President Biden and Xi Jinping in Bali in November briefly eased fears of a new Cold War, but since the balloon incident high-level communication between the two leaders has been rare.