US Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to travel to Shanghai and Beijing next week in an attempt to ease tensions and stabilize relations between the United States and China, which have been strained for months. The talks, which are to take place from Wednesday to Friday, are aimed at “strengthening lines of communication [and reducing] the risk of miscalculation and conflict,” a senior US State Department official in Washington said. “[Blinken] will raise clearly and candidly our concerns on issues ranging from human rights, unfair economic and trade practices to the global economic conse…