US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Beijing on Sunday ahead of talks aimed at easing tension between the two superpowers.
Blinken is the highest-level American official to visit China since President Joe Biden took office and the first secretary of state to make the trip in five years.
He was originally due to visit China in February, but the trip was postponed after the US shot town an alleged Chinese spy balloon flying over its territory.
Meanwhile, tensions have continued to rise in the Taiwan Strait while the US and China have also stepped up their rivalry in the global semiconductor industry.
"There's a recognition on both sides that we do need to have senior-level channels of communication," a senior State Department official told reporters during a refueling stop in Tokyo on the way to Beijing.
"That we are at an important point in the relationship where I think reducing the risk of miscalculation, or as our Chinese friends often say, stopping the downward spiral in the relationship, is something that's important," they added.
Ahead of his departure, Blinken said he would seek to "responsibly manage our relationship" by finding ways to avoid "miscalculations" between the US and China.
"Intense competition requires sustained diplomacy to ensure that competition does not veer into confrontation or conflict," he said in Washington on Friday.
What's on the agenda?
Blinken plans to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and top diplomat Wang Yi on Sunday.
He will also meet with other top officials, including at a banquet at the state guesthouse in the ancient Diaoyutai gardens.
US officials said Blinken could potentially also meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday.
On Saturday, Biden also said he hopes to meet with Xi in the coming months.
But both sides say the relationship needs work.
"The US needs to give up the illusion of dealing with China 'from a position of strength'," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin ahead of the visit.
"China and the US must develop relations on the basis of mutual respect and equality, respect their difference in history, culture, social system and development path."
