Better U.s.-china ties but still deep disagreements as Blinken starts visit

SHANGHAI - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday with U.s.-china ties on a steadier footing, but with a daunting array of unresolved issues threatening the stability of relations between the global rivals.

Blinken will meet with business leaders before heading to Beijing for talks on Friday with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and a likely meeting with President Xi Jinping.

Blinken’s visit is the latest high-level contact between the two nations that, along with working groups on issues from global trade to military communication, have tempered the public acrimony that drove relations to historic lows early last year.

But Washington and Beijng have made little headway on curbing China’s supply of chemicals used to make fentanyl, Taiwan remains a flashpoint, and strains are intensifying over China’s backing of Russia in its war in Ukraine.

While significant progress is unlikely during the visit, both countries want “open lines of communication to avoid awkward scenarios,” said Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

Blinken will press China to stop its firms from retooling and resupplying Russia’s defense industrial base. Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, just days after agreeing a “no limits” partnership with Beijing, and while China has steered clear of providing arms, U.S. officials warn Chinese companies are sending dual-use technology that helps Russia’s war effort.

Without providing details, a senior State Department official briefing reporters on Friday said Washington was prepared to “take steps” against Chinese firms it believes are damaging U.S. and European security.