Chinese, US officials hold 2 days of talks

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Ahead of an expected trip to Beijing by the US’ top diplomat early next year, senior Chinese and American officials met for talks on Sunday and Monday in a city near the capital Beijing, said China’s Foreign Ministry.

The Chinese side was led by Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng while the US side was represented by Daniel Kritenbrink, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Laura Rosenberger, the US National Security Council’s senior director for China.

"The two sides discussed the implementation of consensus reached by two heads of state during the recent Bali summit, properly handling of important issues such as the Taiwan question and enhance all-level and in-depth communication," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin, according to Chinese daily Global Times.

It is first such high-level meeting since President Xi Jinping held a summit-level meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden last month in Bali, Indonesia.

In November, the US said Secretary of State Antony Blinken is tentatively planning a visit to China early next year to "continue keeping the lines of communication open."

Even as the US has ramped up its relations with regional allies to counter China’s expanding economic and military influence, the US president has dismissed concerns over a new Cold War.

“There need not be a new Cold War,” Biden told media after his three-hour meeting with Xi on the sidelines of a G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia in November.

It was during that meeting, described by Biden as “open and candid,” that the two sides decided to put together teams to address a number of outstanding issues between the two countries, which have been strained in recent months over the issue of Taiwan.

“We're going to compete vigorously but I'm not looking for conflict,” Biden said, stressing that America’s "One China policy has not changed."

Xi told Biden that China has “no intention of challenging the US or changing the existing international order.”

However, he stressed that Taiwan is a “red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.”

“We hope that the US side will match its words with action and abide by the one-China policy and the three joint communiqués,” he added.