Pompeo meets Chinese top diplomat, stresses need of information sharing to combat COVID-19

Washington DC [USA], June 18 : US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Thursday met Yang Jiechi, a Communist Party Politburo member and stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Member Yang Jiechi in Honolulu, Hawaii to exchange views on US-China relations. The Secretary stressed important American interests and the need for fully-reciprocal dealings between the two nations across commercial, security and diplomatic interactions," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said.
"He also stressed the need for full transparency and information sharing to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and prevent future outbreaks," she added.
Pompeo said in a tweet, "During my meeting with CCP Politburo Member Yang Jiechi, he recommitted to completing and honouring all of the obligations of Phase 1 of the trade deal between our two countries."
The disagreement between China and the US on Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang was laid bare in a meeting between top diplomats from the two countries in Hawaii on Wednesday, South China Morning Post reported.
A separate report by state-run Xinhua said that Yang and Pompeo had an "in-depth discussion" over China-US relations and international and regional issues of common concern. "Both sides have fully expressed their stance and believe this is constructive dialogue," it said.