Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan on the island of Malta on Saturday and Sunday.

Separate statements from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the White House said the two officials held “transparent, objective and constructive” talks during several meetings on September 16 and 17.

Russia’s war on Ukraine, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and key issues in bilateral relations were discussed, according to a White House statement.

“Wang Yi stressed that the first red line in Sino-US relations that should not be crossed is the Taiwan issue,” according to the Chinese report, according to Beijing.

Both the statements indicated that the two sides agreed to continue high-level meetings and hold bilateral consultations on Asia-Pacific affairs, maritime affairs and foreign policy.

Reuters quoted an unnamed US official as saying his country believed there were “limited” symptoms. China This may allow some communication between the armies of the two countries.

The US official noted that Sullivan had raised concerns about China’s aid to Russia and Beijing’s recent actions in the Taiwan Strait in his talks with Wang Yi.

Conversation thread

Sullivan’s meeting with Wang is the latest in a series of high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials that could lay the groundwork for a meeting between the two countries’ presidents, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, later this year.

Dialogue between the two countries has resumed in recent months with repeated visits by US officials to Beijing.

US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited China this year to ensure continued ties between the two countries.

Biden and Xi last met in 2022 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington rose following former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022, and escalated last February when Chinese balloons flew over US airspace, which the US considered an attempt at espionage.