WASHINGTON: US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Vienna this week, the White House said Thursday, seeking to maintain communication amid soaring tensions including over Taiwan.

“The two sides had candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on key issues” including the war in Ukraine and “cross-Strait issues,” the statement said, referring to Taiwan.

“The two sides agreed to maintain this important strategic channel of communication to advance these objectives,” the White House added.

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The meeting in Vienna is likely to reignite speculation about a potential meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Asked about the issue Wednesday, Biden said there had been progress.

Washington and Beijing’s historically strained relationship has tightened further in recent months over commercial, political and military influence in the Pacific region.

The United States has sought leverage through its Quad partnership with India, Japan and Australia. The group denies hostile intentions and stress that they are not a military alliance, but China has described the grouping as an attempt to encircle it.