Blinken's Shanghai visit sets friendly tone amid U.S.-China strains

HONG KONG/TOKYO -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his three-day visit to China on a light note by taking in a basketball game, strolling through Shanghai's Yu Garden and along the historic Bund, and holding a friendly meeting with the local Communist Party secretary.

Citing President Xi Jinping, Shanghai Secretary Chen Jining told Blinken on Thursday that "the future" and "the hope" for bilateral relations lie in "subnational" relationships, according to a State Department readout. Calling his guest "Tony," he acknowledged that the China-U.S. "relationship has not always been smooth, there [have] always been twists and turns, but overall, it has progressed with historical development and progressed forward."