Beijing said Biden's comments “go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China’s political dignity”

Biden says Blinken did a "hell of a job" in China, after Secretary of State said US does not support independence for Taiwan, and pressed China to remain 'vigilant' of firms giving arms to Russia

US officials have played down the prospect of a major breakthrough in China-US ties, but say Blinken's primary goal is to establish durable communication channels with Beijing

The trip is intended by Washington to be a major step toward what President Joe Biden has called a "thaw" in relations between the world's two largest economies

Officials from the world's biggest economies will meet on Thursday to 'thaw' tense relations, complicated by China's recent ban on Micron and a tough stance against Beijing by G7 nations

Experts say the meeting might not change the downward trajectory in the US-China relationship, considering 'there is almost no trust between the two sides'

"To have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behaviour is unbelievable," China's top diplomat said at a global security conference

US denies flying surveillance balloons over China, while sources said Secretary of State Blinken was considering meeting top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi at Munich Security Conference this week

Washington is confident that the maker of the Chinese spy balloon has a 'direct relationship' with the People's Liberation Army, a senior official said

Japan also said there has been confirmation of suspected balloons flying over it, including in the open waters off the southwestern region of Kyushu in 2022

Blinken will make his presentation at George Washington University in the US capital, at an event hosted by the Asia Society think tank, the Department of State said

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce the opening of a new embassy in the Solomon Islands during a visit to nearby Fiji – 29 years after the US downgraded its diplomatic presence