As both parties recognized the need to get past the spy balloon episode that strained relations between the two countries, the White House national security adviser met with China's top diplomat in Vienna, according to a senior US official.

Before the discussions on Wednesday and Thursday in the Austrian capital, neither Washington nor Beijing made any mention of the encounter between Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi. The lengthy conversations between the two leaders—during which they spent more than eight hours together—were characterized as "candid" and "constructive" by the White House.

A US administration official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said both sides recognised that the February incident was “unfortunate” and were now looking to “reestablish standard, normal channels of communications”.

The discussions are the most recent in a string of inconspicuous indications that tensions between the two largest economies in the world may be easing.

The White House claimed in a statement that the meeting was a part of "ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition" and that Sullivan and Wang talked about important challenges in the US-China relationship, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan, and other things.