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[ad_1] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) walks with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang (R) ahead of a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 18, 2023. Leah Millis | Afp | Getty Images U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing on a high-stakes diplomatic mission to cool U.S.-China tensions that have overshadowed geopolitics in recent months. The trip by Blinken makes him the highest-level American official to visit China since Joe Biden became U.S. president and the first U.S. secretary of state to make the trip in nearly five years. Blinken had "candid, substantive, and constructive talks" with Qin, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in a statement Sunday . He raised concerns as well as "opportunities to explore cooperation," and he emphasized the importance of open communication, according to the statement. "The Secretary made clear that the United States w

[ad_1] Passenger planes sit on the tarmac at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport on Nov. 4, 2022, before China ended Covid-related restrictions on travel. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images BEIJING — China announced late Monday that travelers will no longer need to quarantine upon arrival on the mainland starting Jan. 8. The forthcoming shift follows an abrupt relaxation this month in domestic Covid controls. The changes end the bulk of the most restrictive measures that China had imposed for nearly three years under its zero-Covid policy. Since March 2020, travelers to the mainland have had to quarantine , typically at a designated hotel and for 14 days. That isolation period subsequently began to increase to 21 days or more for some travelers, before China began cutting quarantine times this summer. Current policy requires five days of quarantine at a centralized facility, followed by three days at home. China's National Health Commission also said th

[ad_1] Microsoft signage is seen at the company's headquarters in Redmond, Washington, January 18, 2023. Matt Mills Mcknight | Reuters Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday: Zillow Group — Shares advanced nearly 4% after Evercore ISI upgraded the stock to outperform from in line, saying investors should buy shares ahead of what could be a " rapid recovery " in the housing market. The firm also boosted its price target to $61 from $34, suggesting about 44% upside from Friday's close. related investing news Microsoft — The technology corporation's shares rose more than 3% on Monday, pushing its market cap over $2 trillion once again, after Morgan Stanley reiterated its overweight rating for the stock. Microsoft announced its new AI-powered Bing search browser last week. Twilio — The cloud communication software marker gained 2.8% after announcing plans to cut 17% of its workforce , or roughly 1,500 jobs. Twilio already cut 11% of its workf