Blinken to travel to China next week, carrying out trip postponed after spy balloon incident

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to travel to China next week as the Biden administration pushes to improve badly deteriorated ties with the Chinese that hit a new low in February after a Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down over U.S. airspace. U.S. officials say Blinken expects to be in Beijing on June 18 for meetings with senior Chinese officials, including possibly with President Xi Jinping. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the State Department nor the Chinese foreign ministry have confirmed the trip. The visit, which was agreed between Xi and President Joe Biden last year at a meeting in Bali, had been initially planned for February but was postponed after the spy balloon incident.