Blinken set for high-stakes China trip this week as U.S. pushes for a ‘thaw’

News Snapshot:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China this weekend, a high-stakes step in the U.S. push for an improvement in ties between the world’s fractious superpowers. The top U.S. diplomat will travel to Beijing Friday to hold talks with senior Chinese officials, the State Department announced Wednesday, a long-awaited rescheduling of a visit that was canceled after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was found flying over sensitive American military sites. China's foreign ministry confirmed the trip and said Blinken would visit Sunday to Monday, June 18-19, state media reported. But if that sounds like evidence of a “thaw” between...