Wang Yi in top-level China-US talks
US President Joe Biden met on Friday with China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, a conversation that’s viewed as the precursor to a potential sit-down with President Xi Jinping next month. The encounter was the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the two countries as they explore the possibility of stabilising an increasingly tense relationship at a time of conflict in Ukraine and Israel. The White House said Biden “emphasised that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication,” and he “underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges.” Biden had been widely expected to talk with Wang, a reciprocal action after Xi met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June. Beijing has yet to confirm if President Xi will travel to San Francisco for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month. But Biden has said a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines was possible. (AP)