US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials today, with each side seeking to sway the other on a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues.

Mr Blinken told reporters that he had raised concerns with Mr Xi about China’s alleged support for Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, as well as other issues including Taiwan, the South China Sea and human rights.

In particular, he had objected to Beijing’s supply of materials, including machine tools and microelectronics, to Russia.

China says it has not supplied either side in the war, unlike the US, which has sent arms to Kiev.

He also said he had urged China “to discourage Iran and its proxies from expanding the conflict in the Middle East” and convince North Korea “to end its dangerous behaviour and engage in dialogue.” China has blamed Israel for the escalating Middle East conflict.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Wang Yi had told Mr Blinken: “We have always called for respect of each other’s core interests and urge the United States not to interfere in China’s internal affairs [and] not to hold China’s development back.”