The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia discussed Middle East developments, the South China Sea and Taiwan issues with Chinese counterparts in Beijing, the U.S. State Department said on Monday, the latest effort by the two countries to stabilize rocky ties.
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, as well as with Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office Deputy Director Qiu Kaiming, the State Department said in a statement on the April 14-16 visit.
The officials, including U.S. National Security Council senior director for China and Taiwan Sarah Beran and U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, discussed bilateral, regional and global issues, including the Middle East, China's support for Russia's defense industrial base, cross-Strait issues, the South China Sea and North Korea, the department said.