U.S., China top diplomats hold 'constructive' first talks in months

The meeting focused on preventing competition spilling over into conflict and Washington's opposition to Beijing on a range of issues including Taiwan and human rights.

The United States and China held ‘constructive’ talks Saturday, the two sides said, after an unusually long meeting aimed at preventing bilateral tensions from spiralling out of control.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held their first talks since October on the Indonesian island of Bali as the two powers stepped up interaction at a time when the West is focused on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Despite the complexities of our relationship, I can say with some confidence that our delegations found today's discussions useful, candid and constructive," Mr. Blinken said after five hours of talks.

"The relationship between the United States and China is highly consequential for our countries but also for the world. We are committed to managing this relationship — this competition — responsibly," he said, promising to keep open channels of diplomacy with Beijing.

China's foreign ministry said the two sides had broadly agreed to work to improve ties — but also reeled off a laundry list of grievances against Washington, accusing the United States of "smearing and attacking" its political system.

"The two sides... reached a consensus to promote the Sino-US joint working group consultation to achieve more results," it said, reporting they "also agreed to strengthen cooperation on climate change and public health".

"Both sides believe that this dialogue is substantive and constructive, which will help enhance mutual understanding, reduce misunderstandings and misjudgements, and accumulate conditions for future high-level exchanges between the two countries," it added.