Senior US diplomats hold ‘frank and constructive’ talks with Chinese officials

Daniel Kritenbrink and Sarah Beran are meeting Chinese officials to maintain ‘open lines of communication’, State Department says

Beijing said the two sides agreed to continue talking, but it also protested about ‘wrong words and deeds’ concerning the South China Sea

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Tuesday’s talks took place ahead of an expected visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:00pm, 15 Apr 2024Updated: 12:12am, 16 Apr 2024

Senior Chinese and American diplomats held “frank, in-depth and constructive” talks on Monday aimed at strengthening exchanges and managing their differences, according to the foreign ministry in Beijing.

Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Sarah Beran, the National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan affairs, met foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu as part of their three-day visit that ends on Tuesday.

Both sides agreed to continue engaging in the hope of stabilising and developing relations, according to the foreign ministry. The talks also covered issues such as the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean peninsula.

Beijing also “stated its solemn position” on “a series of wrong words and deeds” concerning the disputed South China Sea and urged the US not to engage in bloc confrontation or destroy the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, the statement said.

“China has clarified its position on Taiwan, trade, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, and demanded that the US stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, obstructing China’s development, imposing unreasonable sanctions on Chinese enterprises, and suppressing China’s trade, science and technology,” it added.

The US State Department said the American diplomats met Chinese officials as part of continuing efforts to maintain “open lines of communication and to responsibly manage competition” while seeking to “manage areas of difference as well as areas of cooperation, while reducing the risk of miscalculation”.

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