Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Travel to China for High-Level Talks Amid Heightened Tensions

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China in the coming weeks for high-level talks, two U.S. officials told NBC News on Tuesday. The trip was originally planned for February, but was postponed after the U.S. military shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesman, said Tuesday that there was “no travel for the Secretary to announce,” but pointed to previous statements that the trip was still in the works.

The balloon was discovered flying over the United States and was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive U.S. military sites, according to current and former U.S. officials who spoke in April. American fighter jets were able to intercept the balloon and bring it down off the coast of South Carolina.

The upcoming trip will be Blinken’s first visit to China since tensions between the two countries escalated earlier this year. The talks are expected to focus on a range of issues, including trade, human rights, and the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. and China have been at odds over a number of issues in recent months, including the Chinese government’s crackdown on Hong Kong, its treatment of Uighur Muslims, and its aggressive military actions in the South China Sea. It remains to be seen if the two sides will be able to reach an agreement during Blinken’s visit.