US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Chinese Communist Party Foreign Office Director Wang Yi and Chinese diplomats in Beijing on Monday morning, the second and final day of his visit aimed at improving strained ties between the US and China.

The two officials met at the “Diaoyutai” State Guest House in Beijing and briefly exchanged pleasantries before entering a closed-door meeting.

Yesterday, Sunday, Blinken – the first high-ranking US official to visit Beijing in almost 5 years – spoke for 7.5 hours with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang.

Blinken held open, objective and constructive talks with his Chinese counterpart Chen Gang in Beijing yesterday, the US State Department said.

He pointed out that the US secretary stressed the importance of maintaining diplomatic and communication channels with China to minimize the risks of misunderstandings and miscalculations.

The US State Department confirmed that Blinken raised issues of concern and opportunities for cooperation on common issues with China.

It said Blinken’s meetings with Chinese officials in Beijing would continue today, Monday, and that the US minister had invited his Chinese counterpart to come to Washington to conclude the discussions.

Both sides announced that Foreign Minister Qin Gang later agreed to visit Washington.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, for his part, said relations between Beijing and Washington were at their lowest level since 1979.

During a meeting with his US counterpart, Anthony Blinken, Chen reaffirmed China’s commitment to building a stable and constructive relationship with the US.

He expressed clear concerns about China’s core interests, including the Taiwan issue, stressing that Taiwan is the most important and influential issue in Sino-US relations.