Blinken meets with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng

(Patria) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the latest in a series of meetings aimed at reducing tensions between the world's two largest economies, Reuters reported.

The talks between Blinken and Han followed a twelve-hour meeting last weekend between White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta, which both sides described as "candid, substantive and constructive."

"The world expects us to manage our relationship responsibly," Blinken said in brief remarks at the start of his meeting with Han.

"The United States is committed to doing just that," he added.

"From the U.S. perspective, face-to-face diplomacy is the best way to deal with areas where we disagree, and also the best way to explore areas of our cooperation," Blinken said.

"Currently, China-U.S. relations face many difficulties and challenges," Han said, stressing that China hopes the U.S. will make efforts to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and promote the stable development of relations.

"The world needs stable and healthy China-U.S. relations," Han said.