US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

The two met at the Great Hall of the People on Monday afternoon. The talks followed Blinken's meeting with China's top diplomat Wang Yi earlier in the day.

At the beginning of the meeting, Xi said state-to-state interactions should always be based on mutual respect and sincerity. He said he hopes Blinken's visit will contribute to a more positive stabilizing of bilateral relations.

Blinken said US President Joe Biden asked him to travel to Beijing as he believes that the United States and China have "an obligation and responsibility" to manage their relationship. He said it is in the interests of the US, China, and the world.
A statement from China's foreign ministry said that during the meeting Xi told Blinken that China hopes to see a sound and steady China-US relationship, and believes the two major countries can overcome various difficulties and find the right way to get along.

Blinken held a news conference after the meeting where he said, "I stressed that direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage our differences and ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. And I heard the same from Chinese counterparts. We both agree on the need to stabilize our relationship."

Blinken said US policy on Taiwan has not changed. He said Washington remains opposed to any unilateral changes to the status quo by either China or Taiwan, and the US will continue to expect the peaceful resolution of Cross-Strait differences.