US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers.
Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting on Friday since US President Donald Trump returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from trade to Taiwan, and both countries vie for greater influence in the region.
"I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting," Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks in Kuala Lumpur, but stressed "it was not a negotiation".
"I think we left it feeling as there's some areas we're gonna be able to work together on."
Rubio also expressed confidence that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would happen.
"There's a strong desire on both sides to do it," Rubio said, adding no date had been set.
Beijing in a separate statement said "both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive".
Both countries agreed to "enhance communication and dialogue through diplomatic channels... and explore expanding cooperation areas while managing differences," China's foreign ministry said.
The sit-down between Wang and Rubio, a longtime China hawk, came as Asian foreign ministers wrapped up three days of intensive talks at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Kuala Lumpur.
Top diplomats from Russia, the European Union, Britain and Canada also attended.
The world’s two largest economies are locked in a trade war as they slap tariffs and other trade restrictions on each other’s goods.
