The Chinese Communist Party secretary for Shanghai, Chen Jining, welcomed Blinken partly in English and spoke of the importance of US businesses to the city.
“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries and the future of humanity,” Chen told him.
The country’s financial capital, Shanghai is often a stepping stone to power in China, with President Xi Jinping previously serving briefly in the city.
China has not announced plans for Blinken to meet Xi, although on Blinken’s last visit in June, they saw each other in a meeting announced at the last minute.
Blinken, the first US secretary of state in 14 years to visit Shanghai, opened his visit on Wednesday evening at a restaurant serving steamed buns.
Sporting a suit without a tie, he ate with his senior staff outside on wooden chairs in a shopping arcade as curious onlookers snapped pictures.
Blinken then went to a basketball stadium, watching a nail-biting play-off game between the Shanghai Sharks and Zhejiang Golden Bulls until the end.
