Blinken opens second day of talks in Beijing on mission to ease soaring U.S.-China tensions

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Monday. (Associated Press)

BEIJING — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has opened a second and final day of critical meetings with senior Chinese officials as the two sides expressed willingness to talk but showed little inclination to bend on hardened positions that have sent tensions soaring.

Blinken was meeting Monday morning with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and an encounter with President Xi Jinping was still in the cards before he departs in the late evening.