Blinken set for high-stakes China trip this weekend as U.S. pushes for a 'thaw'

The top U.S. diplomat will travel to Beijing Friday to hold talks with senior Chinese officials, a long-awaited rescheduling of a visit that was canceled over the spy balloon saga.

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 Washington and Beijing, something predicted by President Joe Biden after months of deepening tensions, the signals from China appear less encouraging.The announcement comes after a call between Blinken and his Chinese counterpart that appeared to be interpreted in vastly different ways by each side.