TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during a meeting with China’s Vice Foreign Minister for Asia Sun Weidong (孫衛東) in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (Sept. 28).

The two officials had a “candid, in-depth, and constructive” discussion on regional issues as part of bilateral efforts to maintain open communication, per a U.S. State Department statement. Kritenbrink shared Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy and underlined the U.S. vision of “a free and open, connected, prosperous, resilient, and secure” Indo-Pacific by upholding the rules-based global order.

The two sides expressed their commitment to keep communication channels open and to cooperate wherever possible. They also touched upon issues regarding Burma, North Korea, and maritime matters.

The same day, the U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) released a scathing report on China’s disinformation campaign. Beijing spreads “false or biased information” to push a positive image of China and the Chinese Communist Party as well as to promote “desired narratives” on topics including Taiwan, human rights, the South China Sea, and other domestic issues.

China “seeks to cultivate and uphold a global incentive structure that encourages foreign governments, elites, journalists, and civil society to accept its preferred narratives and avoid criticizing its conduct,” the report said. The GEC warned that China’s disinformation efforts could lead to a future in which “technology exported by the PRC, coopted local governments, and fear of Beijing’s direct retaliation produce a sharp contraction of global freedom of expression.”

Thursday’s meeting follows talks between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng (韓正) in New York and between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) in Malta.