US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and the Pacific Daniel Kritenbrink. Photo: Getty

Accompanying Mr. Kritenbrink was Ms. Sarah Beran, Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs, at the US National Security Council. The visit took place in the context of the relationship between the two largest economies in the world becoming tense due to many issues related to economics, politics , and military. Last month, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns also visited China and emphasized "the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels" in a meeting with his Chinese counterparts.

Mr. Kritenbrink's visit is said to be part of the White House's efforts to facilitate possible upcoming visits to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

TUAN MINH