Blinken on charm offensive ahead of tough talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the United States and China to manage their differences "responsibly" as he landed in Beijing for tough talks with the rival power's leaders.

Blinken is expected to address a range of thorny issues, including Chinese support for Russia and its treatment of Taiwan, with China likely to raise trade concerns such as the new bill against popular social media app TikTok.

A full day of talks with China's political leadership today has been planned, including a possible meeting with President Xi Jinping.

China has not announced plans for Blinken to meet Xi, although a meeting was announced at the last minute during his previous visit in June.

Blinken arrived yesterday from Shanghai, where the top US diplomat attempted a charm offensive that saw him sample local food, watch a basketball game and stroll along the city's famous Bund promenade.

His aides hope his smiling persona at public events draws an implicit contrast to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov's gruffer approach when he visited China this month.

Blinken said US President Joe Biden was committed to "direct and sustained" dialogue between the world's two largest economies after years of mounting tension.

"I think it's important to underscore the value - in fact, the necessity - of direct engagement, laying out our differences and working through them," Blinken said.

"We have an obligation to our people, indeed an obligation to the world, to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly."

The Chinese Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, Chen Jining, welcomed Blinken, partly in English, and spoke of the importance of US businesses to the city.

"Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries and the future of humanity," Chen said.

Blinken met students at the Shanghai campus of New York University, where he voiced hope for more Americans to study in China.

He insisted that the United States was committed to welcoming Chinese students. Beijing has repeatedly alleged that Chinese nationals with valid travel documents, including students, have been subject to aggressive interrogations and deportations at US airports.

"President Biden and President Xi are determined to strengthen our people-to-people ties," Blinken said.

He also met US business leaders, telling them that the two countries needed to make sure the "economic relationship is working in the ways that it should work to mutual benefit."