Really now? Didn't met Xi?
(Semafor)
Blinken builds bridges on trip to China

REUTERS/Leah Millis
The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks aimed at reducing tensions between the two superpowers. Relations between Beijing and Washington have deteriorated since a Chinese spy balloon was shot down over American waters in February, leading to Blinken canceling a scheduled diplomatic visit. The U.S. also accused China of planning to provide arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Ahead of meeting Xi, Blinken held talks with senior Chinese foreign policy officials, which the U.S. said had made progress in rebuilding diplomatic links, although Beijing’s top diplomat called for an end to tech sanctions and said there was “
no room for compromise” on Taiwan.
But while the two governments talked, business continued to prepare for frosty U.S.-China ties. AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical giant, has drawn up plans to hive off its Chinese operations into a separate business, to shelter the parent company against mounting tensions. It’s one of several multinational firms to be considering similar moves. The Italian government also stripped the Chinese chemical firm Sinochem of its rights as the largest shareholder in the tire manufacturer Pirelli, citing national security concerns.