(LONDON) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Xi Jinping of China on Friday following a meeting with Director of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to the U.S. State Department.

Blinken, in his remarks, described the first meeting with Wang Yi as “extensive and constructive.”

“The two sides had in-depth, substantive, and constructive discussions about areas of difference as well as areas of cooperation as part of responsibly managing competition between the United States and the PRC,” according to Spokesperson Matthew Miller of the U.S. State Department. “The Secretary discussed concerns about PRC support to the Russian defense industrial base, the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, PRC activities in the South China Sea, and the need to avoid further escalation in the Middle East and on the Korean Peninsula.”

Following up on the Woodside Summit between President Joe Biden and President Xi last November, Blinken and Wang Yi discussed “next steps on a range of commitments made by the two leaders on advancing cooperation on counternarcotics, military-to-military communication, talks on artificial intelligence risks and safety, and facilitating people-to-people exchanges,” officials said.

Blinken emphasized that the U.S. will continue to stand up for our interests and values and those of America’s allies and partners, including on human rights and economic issues.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.