THE US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met today with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, as the world’s two largest economies try to stabilize their strained relationship.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta over the weekend and both sides assured that the 12-hour talks were “frank, meaningful and constructive”.

Blinken’s meeting with Han is part of a series of contacts between US and Chinese officials that may pave the way for a summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping later this year. “People expect us to manage our relationship responsibly. The US is committed to doing so,” the US top diplomat said at the start of his meeting with Khan. “As the US sees it, face-to-face diplomacy is the best way to handle areas where we disagree and the best way to explore areas of cooperation between us,” he added.

Biden recently expressed disappointment that Xi did not attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit in India, but said he would “see him” at some point. Biden’s next possible opportunity is at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum to be hosted in San Francisco in November. Neither Blinken nor Hahn made it clear whether that meeting will take place.

“At present, China’s relations with the US are facing many difficulties and challenges,” Han said, noting that Beijing hopes Washington will make efforts to promote the stability of their relationship. “The world needs stable and healthy relations between China and the US,” he concluded.