US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken began meetings in Beijing today, the first visit by a US secretary of state to China since October 2018, amid chilly bilateral relations and low prospects for any major developments in the long list of differences between the two largest economies in the world.

The US Secretary of State had postponed his trip to China in February in the shadow of the crisis triggered by the downing of a Chinese balloon that entered US airspace, which Washington described as “espionage” while Beijing argued that it was “serving scientific purposes”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang welcomed Blinken and his team at the door of a mansion in Beijing’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse complex, instead of inside the building as usual.

The two men had a brief conversation as they walked with Chin asking Blinken in English about his long journey from Washington. They then exchanged handshakes in front of the Chinese and American flags.

Walking into the meeting room, neither Blinken nor Chin made statements to reporters who were briefly allowed into the building.

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying, who is attending the meeting, tweeted above an image of Qin and Biden shaking hands: “We hope this meeting can help lead China-US relations back to what the two presidents agreed in Bali”.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had their first much-anticipated face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of November’s G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali, engaging in tough talks on Taiwan and North Korea. , but at the same time promising more frequent meetings.

Today Blinken is also expected to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and he may also meet with Xi, seeking to establish open and lasting channels of communication to ensure that the strategic rivalry between the two countries does not escalate into conflict.

There is an expectation that Blinken’s trip will pave the way for more bilateral meetings in the coming months, including perhaps visits by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to China. It could also set the stage for future meetings between Presidents Xi and Biden on the sidelines of multilateral summits later this year.

Biden said Saturday that he hopes to meet with President Xi in the coming months.