China, US discuss new round of talks between Biden and Xi, CCTV reports

Top Chinese and US officials discussed holding fresh talks between their heads of state shortly, Chinese state media said on Wednesday, after China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, met US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Beijing.

Both sides also agreed to hold video calls between their military theater commanders "at an appropriate time," according to the Chinese readout from the meetings, a move that Washington hopes could prevent conflict in areas like the Taiwan Strait.

"The key to the smooth development of China-US interaction lies in treating each other as equals," Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

This is Sullivan's second day of talks with Wang and others, aimed at calming tensions between the two superpowers ahead of the November 5 US election.

The meetings will last until Thursday and are expected to cover a range of areas where the two countries are at odds, including trade, the Middle East, Ukraine, and Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea.

Wang told Sullivan the US should "stop arming Taiwan and support peaceful 'reunification' of China," adding that "Taiwan belongs to China and that 'Taiwan independence' is the biggest risk to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

According to the Chinese readout, Wang also expressed Beijing's disapproval of US tariffs on a range of manufactured goods and export controls targeting Chinese chip makers, saying Washington should "stop jeopardizing China's legitimate interests."

Reuters