US NSA Sullivan hold talks with top Chinese military official in Beijing

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan was meeting Thursday morning with a top Chinese defence official as the two countries try to strengthen communication to prevent differences over Taiwan and the South China Sea from spiralling into conflict.

The meeting came one day after the White House said that a phone conversation would be arranged between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in the coming weeks.

Your request to meet with me shows the value you attach to military security and the relationship between our militaries, Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, told Sullivan in opening remarks.

Sullivan noted that it is rare we have the opportunity to have this kind of exchange and underlined the need for us to responsibly manage the US-China relationship.

Sullivan is on the final day of a three-day trip to China, his first as national security adviser and one aimed at keeping high-level communications open and stabilising ...