Chinese President Xi holds talks with US state secy Blinken in Beijing June 18 2023 at 11:00PM

Blinken's was the highest-level visit by a US official to China in nearly five years marked by severely strained ties between the world's two largest economies. US officials have said they hope the visit will bring more stability, if not breakthroughs, between Washington and Beijing. Xi met Biden in November in Bali on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit, raising cautious hopes for a thaw.