Vientiane, Laos - Amid important ASEAN talks next week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a resumption of the two countries' troubled dialogue.

Talks between Blinken and Wang will be the first since the secretary of state visited China in April, when he met with not only his counterparts in the Foreign Office but with President Xi Jinping as well.

The outcomes of the April talks were spelled out by Jinping, who called for greater cooperation and for the US and China to become "partners, not rivals." For his part, Blinken said that the relationship "can be positive."

Since then, China and the US have seemed at constant loggerheads over the Taiwan issue, as well as increasing military confrontations between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

China Ex-aide for New York governors charged with spying for China in return for cash and tasty treats

The US has criticized and sanctioned China for both its support of Russia and its treatment of the Uyghur minority group, and China has continued to warn Washington and launch its own sanctions due to the Biden administration's pro-Taiwan approach.

A meeting between Antony Blinken and Wang Yi next week would come as ASEAN talks focus on violence in Myanmar as the well as ongoing tensions in the South China Sea.

Planned talks between the two leaders were confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday and will likely take place some time next week, though it is unclear when.

"Foreign minister Wang Yi will meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Laos," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

The spokesperson was cited by AFP as saying that Blinken and Wang will "exchange views on issues of common concern," and confirmed that Beijing "will release information in a timely manner regarding the specific time of the meeting and the circumstances of the meeting."

China China's security agency issues bizarre warning about "handsome men" and "beautiful women"

Neither Secretary of State Antony Blinken nor the State Department have confirmed or released any details on the meeting. They have, however, said in a statement on July 22 that Blinken will be in attendance at the ASEAN summit.

"The Secretary will discuss economic cooperation, the global fight against climate change, the ongoing crisis in Burma, the importance of adherence to international law in the South China Sea, and Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine," the statement said.