Top US and Chinese diplomats agree to build on recent progress in ties

BEIJING (AP) — The top U.S. and Chinese diplomats have agreed to build on recent progress in bilateral ties and work together to keep the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza from spreading. Both Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred in a telephone call to last month’s closely watched meeting between the two countries’ leaders in San Francisco following years of frigid ties. Blinken emphasized that the two sides should build on progress at the summit, according to the State Department. President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping agreed at their meeting to keep channels of communication open and resume military-to-military talks. Yet, major political differences between the countries remain far from resolved.