White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday and Sunday in Malta, in light of a tense atmosphere between the two major powers.

"The two sides held frank, substantive, and constructive discussions," the White House said in a statement. The Maltese authorities confirmed that the meeting took place.

A senior US administration official, who did not want to reveal her identity, explained that the meeting lasted 12 hours over two days, noting that the last similar meeting at this level took place last May.

US President Joe Biden at the time expected a "movement" in the bilateral relationship after it deteriorated in February following the flight of a Chinese balloon in the airspace of the United States.

The official added to reporters that during his meeting with the Chinese minister, Jake Sullivan stressed that "the United States and China are engaged in a competition, but the United States does not seek conflict or confrontation."

For its part, Beijing reported that "Wang Yi stressed that the Taiwan issue is the first red line that should not be crossed in Sino-American relations."

According to the American official, Sullivan reiterated that the United States “does not support” the independence of the island, which China considers an integral part of its territory, but at the same time it does not want “a unilateral change to the status quo” either by the Taiwanese or the Chinese.

This White House source added that China and the United States “also committed to holding consultations” in some areas, especially regarding “developments at the political and security levels in Asia-Pacific.”

Communication between military officials in the two countries did not resume after Beijing cut it off in August 2022 following a visit by former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.

But the American official stated that the Americans have “weak and limited indicators” that show that the Chinese “may be interested” in a possible resumption of this type of communication.

However, it did not comment on speculation about a separate meeting between Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during the upcoming APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit in mid-November in San Francisco, California.

Tensions escalated between Beijing and Washington in February due to the flying of Chinese balloons in American airspace, which the United States considered an espionage attempt.

Trade disputes, Chinese expansion in the South China Sea, and the issue of the island of Taiwan remain the most prominent controversial items between the two parties.

Beijing does not look with satisfaction at the active American diplomacy in Asia, which has recently emerged by strengthening the relationship between the United States and Vietnam, for example, nor at Joe Biden's repeated comments about the economic and demographic weaknesses of the Asian giant.