The US national security adviser talks with a top Chinese military official in Beijing

BEIJING (AP) — United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Thursday with a top Chinese military official as the two countries strengthen communication in an effort to prevent differences over the South China Sea and Taiwan from spiraling into conflict.

The meeting came one day after the White House said that both countries would plan for a phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden in the coming weeks.

Sullivan was wrapping up a three-day trip to China, his first as national security adviser and one aimed at stabilizing bilateral relations to avoid conflict. His main talks were held over the past day and a half with Wang Yi, the foreign minister and the ruling Communist Party’s top foreign policy official.

A White House statement Wednesday after talks with Wang concluded said both sides would keep lines of communication open, including planning for a “leader-level call” in the coming weeks. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wang and Sullivan discussed “a new round of interactions between the two countries’ heads of state to take place in the near future.”

There was no indication whether the two leaders might meet in person before Biden leaves the Oval Office in January.

Sullivan’s meeting Thursday was with Zhang Youxia, one of two vice chairs of the Central Military Commission, an organization that Xi personally heads. It was a rare meeting with a civilian U.S. official.

“Your request to meet with me shows the value you attach to military security and the relationship between our militaries,” Zhang told Sullivan in opening remarks.

A White House statement after the talks said the two had “recognized the progress in sustained, regular military-military communications over the past ten months” and noted the agreement announced Wednesday to hold a telephone call between commanders at the theater-level in the near future.

Such a call would be between Adm. Samuel Paparo, who heads the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, and his Chinese counterpart, said Danny Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York.

“This theater command-level dialogue is critical for crisis prevention but something the Chinese military has been resisting,” Russel said.