WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to China this weekend. He is the highest-ranking Biden administration official to meet with Chinese leaders yet.

A Department of State official said one of the core missions of the trip is to soothe tensions between the U.S. and China to promote better communication and reduce the risk of a global conflict.

The future of Taiwan, trade battles and China’s relationship with Russia all loom in the backdrop as Blinken sits down with Chinese leaders Sunday.

“There are a number of issues where we have concerns about actions the (People’s Republic of China) has taken, and we will of course be raising those concerns directly with counterparts in the government in Beijing,” Matthew Miller, Department of State spokesperson, said.

The department said the high-level talks will focus on managing economic competition between the two countries and soothing global tensions.

“To ensure that the competition does not veer into conflict,” Miller said.

The meetings were postponed in January after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted flying over several U.S. states, but lower-level officials have maintained communication.

Republicans called the meeting critical for several reasons.

“China is outpacing our military and modern capabilities,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said. “The United States, along with our allies and partners, needs to maintain a credible deterrence.”

But Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he has little confidence the Biden administration can stand against China.

“They’re going to continue to rip us off and spy on us and steal our jobs,” Hawley said.

Another issue likely to come up is China’s intelligence collection strategies.

This week, Blinken said he was briefed on China’s efforts to expand its spying operations in countries across the globe, including in Cuba.