Blinken says no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy wih China meeting

NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday there was no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy at the start of a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the resort island of Bali.

Wang Yi told reporters that the two countries needed to maintain normal relations and get their relationship back on track. The meeting, which follows a G20 summit in Bali, will be the first in-person talks between the diplomats since October.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Ryan Woo in Beijing; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)