Xi Jinping Says World Needs 'Generally Stable' US-China Relationship After Meeting With Blinken

On Monday, an unexpected meeting of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing brought positive comments on the tense relationship between the two nations. 

What Happened: According to the U.S. State Department, Xi said the world needed a "generally stable" China-U.S. relationship and further added that whether the two countries "can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity." CNBC reported.

Blinken said the U.S. advocates "de-risking and diversifying" economic engagement with China, as per the report.

The meeting, which lasted for around 35 minutes, followed "candid and in-depth discussions" between the two officials and led to progress and agreement on some undetailed "specific issues."

On Sunday, Blinken met with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang, which marked a critical step in the long-awaited endeavor to restore bilateral relations between the U.S. and China. 

Why It's Important: U.S. officials were not expecting any breakthrough from this trip. 

"We're not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of breakthrough or transformation in the way that we deal with one another,"  Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told reporters before the trip, according to Bloomberg.

"We're coming to Beijing with a realistic, confident approach and a sincere desire to manage our competition in the most responsible way possible." 

The China visit marks the first time a secretary of state has made such a trip in nearly five years. 

It also makes Blinken the highest-level American official to visit China since U.S. President Joe Biden took leadership.

What's Next: The trip is expected to enable a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and the Chinese president in November. 

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