US-China talks start with warnings about misunderstandings and miscalculations

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

BEIJING (AP) — The United States and China are butting heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting Friday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Both have underscored the importance of keeping lines of communication open, but they lamented that divisions between their countries were increasing and becoming more serious in nature. Their opening comments hinted at a long list of differences to be discussed, including Taiwan and the South China Sea, and trade and human rights issues.