Tonight, we begin a new diplomatic push aim at cooling tensions with China. Secretary of State A.B arrived in Beijing Sunday for two days of high-stakes talks. It’s the first US diplomatic mission there in five years.

After more than five and a half hours of intense and very direct talk between Secretary B and his Chinese counterpart. There was at least one point of agreement. Try to stop the downward spiral in this relationship before the two countries veer into conflict. Secretary B and Foreign Minister Q.G, a close ally of President X.JP tackled a long list of grievances. The US goal? Open communication channels to avoid a military clash. Tensions spiked last summer when then House Speaker N.P visited Taiwan. And again in February, after the spy balloon shoot down. China’s defense chief refuses to speak with US Defense Secretary L.A at a time when Beijing is massively expanding its nuclear arsenal. Miscommunication risks a clash. Last month, a Chinese warship came within one hundred and fifty feet of slamming into an American ship transiting the Taiwan Strait. And in the South China Sea, a Chinese fighter jet buzzed the US Air Force. The divide runs deeper than a failure to communicate. B also pressed authorities to crack down on the flow of fentanyl. That drug is the number one killer of Americans under the age of fifty. After months of giving the US the cold shoulder, this opening from Beijing may signal interest in reducing friction, at least on the financial front. The US and Chinese economies are so intertwined. On Monday, Secretary B will meet with a top party official who oversees foreign policy. And if all goes well, he may get a face to face with President X.JP.