Just as a pianist practises a new piece of music slowly, with attention to every phrase, keeping the first signs of goodwill between Washington and Beijing on track calls for a disciplined use of words. More educational exchanges and people-to-people interactions will also help improve understanding and dispel fear and suspicion.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to China marked the first proper meeting between executive representatives from the U.S. and China since January’s balloon fiasco. Both countries are far away from signing into binding commitments with one another, but the summits alone provide a platform for communication to take place.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s long-delayed trip to Beijing has come and gone. Despite the predictable optimistic spin on the visit – both sides agreed to strengthen people-to-people exchanges and promised to continue talks – it did little to defuse the increasingly fraught conflict between the United States and China.

Redefining trade and economic relationships to achieve balance and prevent excessive dependence in strategic sectors has emerged as a key protectionist policy and geopolitical tool among major global powers. And while policies like dumping, dual circulation, security and development, or decoupling and de-risking, all share a common objective, each major power must determine its own mechanisms for course correction.

A single visit to China by the U.S. secretary of state will not change the trajectory of relations, and American officials have tried to lower expectations. The foremost test in the years to come will be the prevention of war, which many believe is unavoidable.

A change to softer rhetoric by the United States seems aimed at placating its domestic business community, but the ultimate objective of containing China hasn’t changed. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there’s a big difference. We shall wait and see.

Antony Blinken’s visit to China will be a pivotal juncture in U.S.-China relations. The opportunity for both sides to start acting in good faith toward one another is precious and could change the trajectory of the near future.

The window of opportunity for rapprochement between China and the U.S. is likely small, given the approach of America’s polarizing presidential election season. To put it bluntly, if the Biden administration fails to make corrections 2023 may become another lost year.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China represents one of the steps taken to actualize the principles discussed during the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, in Bali. The visit was initially planned for February this year, but following the "spy balloon" incident, the Biden team decided to postpone it. This decision was influenced by domestic political pressures and an attempt to leverage these pressures against China.

Amid the souring stew if China-U.S. relations, the growing distance between the countries’ armed forces stands out as particularly significant. A halt in military interactions indicates high tension. The good news is that the two both sides agree that engagement still counts.