U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister for Asia Sun Weidong, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday. More recently, Blinken met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in New York and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta. KEY QUOTES"The two sides held a candid, in-depth, and constructive consultation on regional issues as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication," the State Department said. High-level talks between the two sides could help set the stage for a meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Sonali Paul and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Dado Ruvic, Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Blinken, Han Zheng, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Kritenbrink, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kanishka Singh, Eric Beech, Sonali Paul, Michael Perry Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, State, East Asian, Pacific Affairs, Foreign, Asia Sun Weidong, State Department, Thomson Locations: Washington, China, New York, U.S, Malta, Taiwan Strait, Myanmar, North Korea, Taiwan