Senior US-China officials vow to keep communication lines open

Bloomberg News on May 22, 2025

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Beijing and Washington continued high-level contact with a Thursday call between senior officials, a sign that the two sides are maintaining active communications following their trade truce earlier this month.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.

In the call, the two men acknowledged the importance of the bilateral relationship to the people of both countries and the world, spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. They also agreed on the importance of keeping open lines of communication, she added.

The conversation comes amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges keeping contact steady even as continued disputes over U.S. curbs on China’s access to advanced semiconductors test the detente.

Earlier this week, Ma met with David Perdue, the new U.S. ambassador to China, telling him that Beijing hopes the two countries will work together to promote ties. People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng spoke with former U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met with JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon on Thursday in Beijing, according to a Xinhua report.

In a separate sitdown between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Asia Society CEO Kyung-wha Kang, China’s top diplomat said the two countries should work toward finding the right way to get along by fostering positive engagement in the Asia-Pacific region first.

Still, flashpoints between the two sides remain, including over chips that power AI services. China’s Commerce Ministry on Wednesday threatened legal action against anyone enforcing U.S. restrictions on Huawei Technologies Co.’s chips.

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