China and the US to meet for talks in Thailand

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China's chief diplomat Wang Yi are to meet this Friday and Saturday in the Thai capital Bangkok, according to reports from Beijing and Washington.
The meeting follows pledges by US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to maintain strategic exchanges and deal responsibly with the two countries' relationship, said National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson.
Wang Yi is travelling to Bangkok at Thailand's invitation and will stay until January 29, according to the Foreign Ministry in Beijing.
Xi and Biden last met in November last year during the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Relations between the world's two largest economies are tense. In the past, the USA had imposed economic sanctions aimed at denying China access to important chip technology. China has also steered a confrontational course in terms of economic and foreign policy.
There are numerous regional disputes over territorial claims which China is pushing, and a dispute over China's neighbour Taiwan. Beijing regards the East Asian island as part of its territory, even though an independent, democratically elected government has been in power there for decades.
The US, on the other hand, is an important ally of Taiwan. Under Joe Biden, the US government assured Taipei of support in the event of Chinese aggression.