Evening Update: U.S. and China say progress made in repairing ties after Blinken meets with Xi in Beijing

News Snapshot:

Good evening, let’s start with today’s top stories: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with top U.S. diplomat Antony Blinken in Beijing on Monday, as the two superpowers seek to put relations back on track after they were derailed by a Chinese spy balloon earlier this year. Ahead of Blinken’s visit to the Chinese capital, the first by a U.S. secretary of state since 2018, Washington had been keen to downplay expectations, with officials saying that any talks would be progress enough. Xi said “the two sides made progress and reached agreement on some specific issues.” Blinken told reporters in Beijing...