The U.S. secretary of state's meeting with Xi came just hours after China’s top diplomat said Washington and Beijing must choose between “cooperation or conflict.”
The bar for a successful two-day meeting will be low for both Washington and Beijing as they look to at least prevent ties from bottoming out.
Experts agree that few, if any, concrete deliverables are likely to emerge from Antony Blinken's trip. But, some say, that shouldn’t get in the way of talking.
The 18,000-ton USS Michigan submarine, which can conduct strike missions using Tomahawk cruise missiles, docked at a naval base in Busan as part of a U.S. pledge to bolster deterrence.
The launches were the nuclear-armed country's first since it ramped up tensions last month with a failed satellite launch.
Base personnel had been ordered to evacuate the base’s 374th Airlift Wing headquarters, a residential tower and other buildings at around 10:20 a.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Beijing on Sunday and Monday as Washington seeks to "responsibly manage" the increasingly heated rivalry.
Japan and NATO have bolstered their partnership in recent years, with both emphasizing that the security situations in Europe and Asia are interlinked.
The Defense Ministry said the order would remain in place “for the time being,” after Pyongyang said it would conduct a second launch as soon as possible.
Diplomats from the two countries exchanged views on the bilateral relationship, Taiwan-related issues and other matters.
