Meeting sets stage for more contact between China, US

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called the meeting "extensive, candid and in-depth", and said it was "constructive and conducive to improving mutual understanding".

At the meeting, Beijing stated its clear objection to using the word "competition" to define their relations.

Wang Dong, a professor and executive director of Peking University's Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding, noted that US officials vowed to ensure "responsible competition" with China at the meeting.

Wang said the administration of President Joe Biden is continuing the negative legacy of former president Donald Trump's administration－one of suppression and misjudgment of China.

"The meeting on Wednesday was helpful for breaking Washington's illusion. Damage control on the ties and pragmatism are critical for the US at the moment," Wang said.

Following China-US diplomatic meetings in Anchorage and in Tianjin earlier this year, "it has dawned on Washington that arbitrarily pressuring China and speaking in a haughty tone will not help achieve its strategic goals", said Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Department of American Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.

In statements released after the Wednesday meeting, both countries underscored that the meeting followed up on the phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and President Biden on Sept 10.

Su noted that Yang mentioned Biden's recent positive comments on China-US relations, that the US has no intention of curtailing China's development or waging a "new Cold War".

"Since Biden said so, we should check whether Washington can honor the president's commitment with actions," she said.