US secretary of state Antony Blinken will travel to China this month, in the latest sign that Beijing and Washington are beginning to stabilise a turbulent bilateral relationship that had sunk to the lowest point in decades.
Blinken is expected to visit within the coming weeks, according to two people familiar with his plans. Blinken had abruptly cancelled a trip in February in response to a suspected Chinese spy balloon’s flight over the US, which upended efforts to repair relations.
The US diplomat’s visit would be a sign of renewed headway between Washington and Beijing to re-establish high-level engagement. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed at the G20 summit in Bali in November to try to set a “floor” under the relationship, but their efforts were derailed by the balloon episode.