US Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in "candid, substantive, and constructive" talks in Beijing on Sunday with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, aimed at easing tension between the two superpowers.

"The Secretary emphasized the importance of diplomacy and maintaining open channels of communication across the full range of issues to reduce the risk of misperception and miscalculation," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, adding that Blinken invited the Chinese foreign minister to Washington for further talks.

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 down an alleged Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States.

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.

Beijing: US-China relations at lowest point ever

Qin greeted Blinken and his group at the door to a villa on the grounds of Beijing's Diaoyutai State Guest House, rather than inside the building as is customary.

Qin told Blinken that relations between the United States and China "are at the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations," according to state-run broadcaster CCTV.

"This does not conform to the fundamental interests of the two peoples, nor does it meet the common expectations of the international community," Qin said 

Neither diplomat made comments in front of reporters who were briefly allowed into a meeting room.

China's assistant foreign minister Hua Chunying, who is attending the meeting, tweeted a picture of Qin and Blinken shaking hands, and said: "Hope this meeting can help steer China-U.S. relations back to what the two Presidents agreed upon in Bali."

What's on Blinken's agenda?

US officials have since last week played down the prospect of a major breakthrough during the trip.

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.

As well as talks with Qin and top Chinese Communist Party diplomat Wang Yi, Blinken is also due to meet with other top officials 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.

Biden, on Saturday, 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."

jsi, mm, zc/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)