U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to go to China after earlier trip postponed amid spy balloon

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing this weekend, the State Department announced Wednesday, as the U.S. confronts a spate of intensifying diplomatic challenges with China. His visit there will be the first by a Secretary of State since 2018, and the first by a cabinet-level official since 2019. In a briefing call Wednesday, senior U.S. officials acknowledged that the meeting came at a “crucial time” in the relationship but downplayed expectations for major “deliverables.” “We’re not going to Beijing with the intent of having some sort of breakthrough or transformation in the way that we deal…