When Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken went to Beijing last week to try to repair the frayed relationship between the United States and China, both sides kept expectations low.
For months, the two superpowers have clashed over a wide range of issues: the alleged Chinese spy balloon that wandered across the United States in February, U.S. attempts to block China from advanced semiconductor technology, and military near-collisions at sea and in the air.
Both countries agreed they needed to stop the rivalry from spiraling into open conflict and "build a floor" under the relationship — which is exactly what President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping said they had already done at a summit meeting eight months ago. That floor didn't stay built — hence last week's call for a repairman.
