SENIOR Chinese and United States diplomats held “candid and productive” talks in Beijing and agreed to keep open lines of communication to avoid tensions from spiralling into conflict, officials said today.

Assistant US Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu “had candid, constructive and fruitful communication on promoting the improvement of China-US relations and properly managing differences.”

Beijing said that it had stated its “solemn position on Taiwan” and other issues and that the two sides had agreed to maintain communication.

The US State Department said that discussions had taken place as part of “ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication.”

Central Intelligence Agency director William Burns last month reportedly took a secret trip to Beijing in another sign the two sides are interested in restoring lines of communication.

Earlier this week, Chinese Defence Minister General Li Shangfu accused the US of another provocative move towards Beijing with its so-called “freedom-of-navigation” patrols.

This came after a US guided-missile destroyer and a Canadian frigate were intercepted by the Chinese as they transited the strait between Taiwan and mainland China. 

Gen Li warned that China would prevent the US from exercising “hegemony of navigation.”