US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Photo: AP)

The two-day visit was confirmed after Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang had a telephone conversation with Blinken. Qin told Blinken to respect China’s “core concerns”, such as Taiwan, and “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition”, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry.

Since the beginning of the year, China-US relations have been strained, and the responsibility is clear, Qin told Blinken, according to the Chinese foreign ministry's readout. Qin urged the US to work with China to effectively manage differences, and promote communication and cooperation to stabilize bilateral relations and bring ties “back to the track of healthy and stable development.”

Blinken underlined the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to responsibly manage US-China relations to avoid miscalculation and conflict, according to US State Department.