Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang on June 17, hours after arriving in China for a two-day visit.
The timing of his trip, however, has been met with criticism as experts and U.S. lawmakers say that visiting China was a mistake and ill-advised.
Blinken is the highest-level American official to set foot in China since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, and the first secretary of state to visit since 2018, when his predecessor Mike Pompeo visited China for one day.
Qin greeted Blinken at Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing. The two had a small chat and shook hands before heading into a meeting room. None of the top diplomats made comments in front of reporters….