Senior diplomats from the United States and China have met and discussed a range of issues, possibly including a visit to the US by new Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

The US State Department announced that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met the head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's North American and Oceanian Affairs Department Yang Tao in Washington on Monday(July 31).

The department press release described their discussion as "part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage the bilateral relationship."

The two sides are also said to have exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global issues, including those concerning Ukraine and Taiwan.

When US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June, he agreed to accept a visit by then Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Washington. But Qin was removed from his post in July.

Qin's predecessor Wang Yi, who is the Communist Party political bureau member in charge of diplomacy, has again assumed the foreign minister post.

Kritenbrink and Yang may therefore have made arrangements for Wang's visit to the US.

Blinken has expressed eagerness for dialogue with China to stabilize bilateral relations. Noting that he has known Wang for more than a decade, Blinken suggested they will get along well as they have done before.

Source: NHK