VIDEO Antony Blinken, unexpected visit to a music store in China on his way to the airport. What are the musical souvenirs taken by the American secretary

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unexpected detour on his way to the airport on Friday after talks in China aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers, stopping at a music store. He bought an album signed by Taylor Swift and one by Chinese rocker Dou Wei, reports Reuters.

On his way to the airport after a visit that included a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Blinken popped into the LiPi record store in the Chinese capital’s arts district, where the owner handed him an album by Dou Wei, which they bought together with “Midnights,” Swift’s 2022 album.

One purpose of Blinken’s trip was to emphasize the importance of what the State Department calls “people-to-people connections” as part of efforts to improve relations.

In the Beijing record store, he described Taylor Swift, whose hits include “Bad Blood” from her 2014 fifth album, as a successful American export.

Blinken, a music enthusiast and guitarist, described music as “the best connector, regardless of geography”, and said he loved vinyl records.

Asked by the store owner what music he likes, Blinken, who is 62, said he likes everything, but added: “I’m a bit stuck in the ’70s.”

Last September, Blinken performed Muddy Waters’ Hoochie Coochie Man live at the launch of a “musical diplomacy initiative” aimed at promoting US foreign policy through music.