US and China diplomats meet in New York as Middle East tensions rise

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New York on Friday. This meeting comes ahead of the U.S. presidential election and is one of their last face-to-face encounters for the foreseeable future. The discussion lasted over an hour during the U.N. General Assembly. The meeting was planned amid rising tensions in the Middle East, particularly following Israel's airstrike on Hezbollah in Beirut. Blinken also criticized China for its support of Russia during a U.N. Security Council meeting earlier this week. He highlighted China's role in supplying materials that aid Russia's military efforts in Ukraine.