U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up a closely watched visit to Beijing during which he and President Xi Jinping pledged to stabilize plunging U.S-China ties. But China refused the biggest U.S. request: restoring military-to-military contacts. Blinken said he raised the issue of military communications "repeatedly" but was rebuffed by the Chinese. "It is absolutely vital that we have these kinds of communications," he said, adding that it was something the United States will "keep working on." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and President Joe Biden have called often over the past few months for China to reestablish military…