Top Chinese And US Officials Hold Talks In Zurich

Chinese foreign policy advisor Yang Jiechi and US national security advisor Jake Sullivan held talks in Switzerland on Wednesday, in a bid to improve communication between the two countries.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Yang told Sullivan that confrontation would damage both countries and the world.

"The two sides agreed to take action ... to strengthen strategic communication, properly manage differences, avoid conflict and confrontation," the ministry statement said.

A senior US administration official said the talks, which were held at an airport hotel in Zurich, lasted about six hours. It was Yang and Sullivan's first face-to-face meeting since an exchange in Alaska in March, which also involved US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Sullivan made clear that while we will continue to invest in our own national strength and work closely with our allies and partners, we will also continue to engage with the People's Republic of China at a senior level to ensure responsible competition," the White House said in a statement.

Earlier, the White House had said the meeting follows up on US President Joe Biden's September 9 call with President Xi Jinping.

That call ended a nearly seven-month gap in direct communication between the leaders, and they discussed the need to ensure that competition between the two does not veer into conflict.

The White House said Sullivan will also visit Brussels for meetings with NATO and European Union officials, as well as Paris, and will brief the Europeans on his meeting with Yang.

With trade tensions also at the top of the US-China agenda, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai, in Paris for Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development meetings, has said she hopes to hold discussions soon with Chinese counterparts.

On Monday, Tai unveiled the results of a months-long "top-to-bottom" review of China trade policy, pledging to hold "frank" talks with Beijing about promises it made in former President Donald Trump's trade deal.

The Global Times said China is willing to build mutually beneficial trade with the United States but will not make concessions on principle and is not afraid of a drawn-out contest.

"Instead of being weakened, China's economy has taken a step forward in comparison with the scale of the US," it said. (Reuters)

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