WASHINGTON: China`s top diplomat Wang Yi and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan held `candid, substantive` talks in Thailand`s capital Bangkok, focusing on the sensitive issues of Taiwan and the attacks in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels, officials said on Saturday.

The talks, which lasted some 12 hours over two days, are expected to pave the way for a phone call between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in the spring, according to a senior White House official.

Beijing and Washington have clashed in recent years on flashpoint issues from technology and trade to human rights, as well as over the self-ruled island of Taiwan and competing claims in the South China Sea.-AFP