US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands ahead of a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on 18 June 2023. Photo: LEAH MILLIS / AFP / POOL
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken has just visited China meeting with leader Xi Jinping and other officials. He has described the Beijing talks as candid, substantive and constructive. His previous scheduled visit was delayed as a Chinese spy balloon flew over the US, before being shot down.
And it's Juneteeth in the US, the third year since the holiday was given federal status by President Biden in 2021. It commemorates the fall of slavery in Galveston, Texas.
Ximena Bustillo is an NPR politics reporter based in Washington.
