Why Xi Jinping finally agreed to meet Antony Blinken

When Antony Blinken got on the plane to Beijing two days ago, the US Secretary of State didn’t even know if he’d be meeting with Xi Jinping. Blinken’s visit was originally planned for February before the US withdrew, at the last minute, after a Chinese spy balloon was spotted over Montana. Beijing has always insisted there was nothing untoward about the balloon, seeing the cancellation of Blinken’s visit as an overreaction. US-China relations have been frosty since.

Despite this tension, the Secretary of State was granted an audience with the Chinese leader earlier today – but only with a few hours’ notice. The short meeting, which lasted only 30 minutes, is a sign that Beijing, like Washington, wants to arrest the downward spiral of US-China relations since the balloon incident. It’s possible that Xi only decided to meet Blinken after the US Secretary of State had productive conversations with other senior Chinese officials, earlier in the visit. From the readouts, those fearing a third world war can let out a small sigh of relief. Blinken