Beijing and Washington sustained high-level engagement on Thursday through a call between senior diplomats, indicating that both sides are keeping diplomatic channels open after reaching a trade truce earlier this month. US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau and China’s executive vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu “discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, and agreed on the importance of keeping open lines of communication”, according to US state department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. In the conversation, officials acknowledged and emphasised on the importance of bilateral relationship for the people of both countries, as well as for the world, spokeswomen said. The two men also agreed to maintain the communication, she added. Beijing’s foreign ministry in a statement Friday said, Ma and Landau had “exchanged views on China-US relations and important issues of common concern”. The call took place amid a wave of diplomatic activity aimed at maintaining steady communication, even as ongoing tensions over US restrictions on China’s access to advanced semiconductors continue to challenge the fragile détente.Earlier in the week, Ma met with the new US ambassador to China, David Perdue, and told him of Beijing’s hope of the two countries working together to promote ties. People’s Bank of China governor Pan Gongsheng held talks with former US treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, while Chinese vice premier He Lifeng met with JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon in Beijing on Thursday, according to a report by Xinhua.Recently in a sit down with Asia Society CEO Kyung-wha Kang, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, said the two countries should work toward finding the right way to get along by fostering positive engagement in the Asia-Pacific region first. Still, tensions persist between the two countries, particularly over semiconductors used in AI technologies. On Wednesday, China’s Commerce Ministry warned it would pursue legal action against any entity implementing US sanctions on Huawei Technologies Co.’s chips.
