The United States and China are in a tense standoff over conflict issues in the South China Sea and East China Sea.
The U.S. State Department announced on the 27th local time that Lambert, the State Department's China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, had a video conference with Hong Liang, Director of the Border and Ocean Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the 23rd.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the current situation in the South China Sea and East China Sea and other maritime issues.
The United States raised concerns that China's dangerous and destabilizing actions are impeding other countries' ability to exercise their freedom of navigation on the high seas, and reaffirmed the United States' unwavering support for international maritime law and its strong defense of alliances. I did.
In addition, the United States reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and expressed deep concern about the Chinese military's joint military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and around Taiwan, the State Department said.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The two countries exchanged views on maritime situations and maritime-related issues, and agreed to maintain dialogue and communication, avoid misunderstandings and misjudgments, and control maritime risks."
The State Department explained that this meeting is a follow-up discussion to the meeting held during Coordinator Lambert's visit to Beijing in November last year and is part of ongoing efforts to keep communication channels open to responsibly manage U.S.-China relations.