Chinese foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu to visit US in latest exchange

Xi said during the talks that the two countries had made some “positive progress” in various fields since he met US President Joe Biden in San Francisco in November, but that there was room for “further efforts” on problems that remained unresolved.

But Hong Liang, the Chinese foreign ministry’s director general for boundary and ocean affairs, urged the US to refrain from interfering in China’s maritime disputes with its neighbours.

He also told his US counterpart that Washington should stop supporting “Taiwan independence” – a reference to the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party which denies Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.