Top US and Chinese national security figures hold 'candid' talks

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan - seen here at a White House press briefing in February 2022 - met with his Chinese counterpart in Luxembourg on Monday, June 13, 2022 for "candid" exchanges. - AFP

BEIJING, June 14, 2022 (AFP): The top Chinese and US security advisers have held lengthy talks, with both sides describing them as "candid" following days of acrimonious exchanges over Taiwan and other flashpoint issues.

Readouts of the meeting in Luxembourg on Monday were toned down compared with last week, when China's defence minister warned his country would not "hesitate to start a war" over Taiwan, while the US defense secretary blasted Beijing's "provocative, destabilising" military activity.