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Meeting between US secretary of state and Chinese leader was a diplomatic coup, but did not yield breakthroughs
Antony Blinken’s with Xi Jinping on Monday may have lasted only 35 minutes, but both sides insisted that it represented progress in the strained relationship. The two men exchanged warm words while both refusing to budge on their respective core interests.
That the US secretary of state was able to meet China’s leader at all was a diplomatic coup for the highly anticipated visit. Blinken is the highest-ranking US official to visit Beijing since 2018, but until he arrived in the Chinese capital it was not confirmed that he would meet China’s leader.

Doc Chey's Noodle House will close at the end of service on June 30, but the Memorial Drive space won't stay dark long.

The 62-year-old ballet dancer and author of bestselling memoir Mao’s Last Dancer is retiring after 11-years as artistic director, having been diagnosed with a heart condition
Li Cunxin, the renowned ballet dancer and author of bestselling memoir Mao’s Last Dancer, is retiring as the artistic director of Queensland Ballet due to ill health.
On Tuesday, the Queensland Ballet confirmed the 62-year-old had been diagnosed with a heart condition and “has been troubled by serious health concerns since 2022”. He recently experienced “complications” and is retiring in order to recuperate.

Through weekly potlucks, MengCheng Collective plans to center and collect stories of the area’s Chinese diaspora.

U.S. diplomats visited Beijing to try to ensure that competition “does not veer into conflict.” The talks pave the way for a possible Biden-Xi meeting.

Also, New Zealand slipped into a recession.

This week the two countries will restart government consultations after a pandemic hiatus, but amid the war in Ukraine and rising U.S., Chinese tensions, common ground may be elusive.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said he urged Chinese officials “to be vigilant” as Washington continues to express concerns over possible military support to Russia.

Meeting between China’s president and US secretary of state takes place at time of heightened tension
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has wrapped up a rare trip to Beijing where he met China’s president, Xi Jinping, concluding a high-stakes visit aimed at stabilising spiralling relations.
Speaking at a press briefing in Beijing before his departure, Blinken said he had had “an important conversation” with Xi during the 35-minute encounter and stressed it was the responsibility of both countries to find a path forward.

Liu Jianchao accused of directing fugitive recovery operations targeting regime’s opponents
A cross-party group of British MPs and peers has written to the prime minister urging him to reconsider a decision to allow a visit this week by a senior Chinese government official accused of overseeing the forcible repatriation of hundreds of dissidents back to China, including some from the UK.
Liu Jianchao, the head of the international department of the Communist party of China central committee, is due to speak at the Chatham House thinktank and meet UK parliamentarians.