Blinken's Visit to China: Easing Tensions or Risking Miscalculation?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to visit China this week to meet with senior officials in an attempt to stabilize the fraught relationship between the two superpowers. The visit comes at a low point in US-China relations, with Beijing repeatedly accusing the US of engaging in double standards and a “new cold war mentality” when it comes to trade sanctions and export controls. The US has conceded that China had been spying on the US from Cuba since at least 2019, which had threatened to derail Blinken’s visit. Experts do not expect major breakthroughs from the visit, but hope for a better understanding of each side’s concerns and red lines.