U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed his Chinese counterpart to Washington, D.C., on Thursday as the Biden administration seeks to repair fraught ties with Beijing. Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke briefly to reporters before his meeting with Blinken at the State Department.

Wang Yi: “Through dialogue, we can increase understanding, reduce misunderstanding and misjudgments, constantly seek to expand common ground and pursue cooperation that will benefit both sides.”

Wang Yi’s trip to Washington came after California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom held a surprise meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Wednesday. Newsom said after the talks he hoped the United States and China were at a turning point in their relations.