Blinken visit seeks to ease fraught US relationship with China

In a long-awaited visit, the US secretary of state is due to arrive in China this week, where he is expected to meet with senior officials in an attempt to stabilise the fraught relationship between the two superpowers. The buildup to Antony Blinken's China visit has been marred by a series of tense exchanges. On Wednesday Qin Gang, China's foreign minister, told Blinken in a phone call that the US should stop interfering in China's internal affairs. Qin also said that the US should respect China's concerns on the "Taiwan issue". Daniel Kritenbrink, the US state department's top diplomat for…