US and Chinese officials agree to keep talking ahead of possible Trump-Xi summit

Senior officials from the United States and China agreed to step up communications to help manage their differences following a meeting in New York on Thursday.

Chinese foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu told US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau that the Taiwan question was “purely China’s internal affair”, while the American called for concrete efforts to tackle the fentanyl crisis and repatriate undocumented Chinese nationals.

“China urges the US to adhere to the one-China policy, honour its political commitments, and take real action to uphold peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Ma said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has never ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control. The US, in common with most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as independent. But Washington opposes any attempt to seize the island by force and is legally bound to supply it with weapons to defend itself.

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The statement described the conversation as “candid, in-depth and constructive”, adding the two sides had agreed to “maintain dialogue, effectively manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation”.

South China Morning Post