Top US, Chinese officials hold 'candid' talks amid strained ties

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Senior officials from the US and China held a "candid" discussion earlier this week, the White House announced Thursday amid markedly strained US-Sino relations.

The May 10-11 meeting between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi, China's top official for foreign affairs, was not previously announced.

The meeting included "candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on key issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and cross-Strait issues, among other topics," the White House said in a statement.

Ties had already been under significant strain, but relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorated dramatically after the discovery of what the Biden administration says was a high-altitude Chinese spy balloon over the continental US earlier this year.

China has acknowledged ownership of the aircraft, but maintains it was a weather balloon that had flown off course, condemning Washington's decision to down it and suspending some contacts with Washington, including high-level military dialogue.

In the wake of the incident, the US called off what was to be a critical meeting of top diplomats to follow-up on November's sit-down between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia.

The White House said this week's meeting between Wang and Sullivan "was part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition."

"The two sides agreed to maintain this important strategic channel of communication to advance these objectives, building on the engagement between President Biden and President Xi in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022," it said.