Senior US and China officials vow to keep communication lines open
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The conversation comes amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges keeping contact steady.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - Beijing and Washington continued high-level contact with a May 22 call between senior officials, a sign that the two sides are maintaining active communications following their trade truce earlier this month.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and China’s Executive Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, according to a statement from the US State Department.
In the call, the two men acknowledged the importance of the bilateral relationship to the people of both countries and the world, spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. They also agreed on the importance of keeping open lines of communication, she added.
The conversation comes amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges keeping contact steady even as continued disputes over US curbs on China’s access to advanced semiconductors test the detente.
Earlier this week, Mr Ma met Mr David Perdue, the new US ambassador to China, telling him that Beijing hopes the two countries will work together to promote ties.
People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng spoke to former US Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner. And on May 22 in Beijing, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng met JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon on May 22, according to a Xinhua report.
In a separate sit-down between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Asia Society chief executive Kyung-wha Kang, China’s top diplomat said the two countries should work towards finding the right way to get along by fostering positive engagement in the Asia-Pacific region first.
Still, flashpoints between the two sides remain, including over chips that power AI services.
China’s Commerce Ministry on May 21 threatened legal action against anyone enforcing US restrictions on Huawei Technologies’ chips. BLOOMBERG
