China and the United States agreed on Friday to strengthen communication and dialogue at all levels and in various fields, including through the diplomatic channel, as Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a bilateral meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

According to a read-out from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides also agreed to leverage the role of diplomatic departments in advancing bilateral relations, and to explore expanding areas of cooperation while managing differences.

It was the first in-person meeting between the two diplomats since Rubio took his current post in January. Both sides described the talks as "positive, pragmatic and constructive".

Wang elaborated China's principled position on developing China-US relations and emphasized that both sides should translate the important consensus reached by the two heads of state into concrete policies and actions.

He said it is hoped that the US would view China in an objective, rational, and pragmatic way, and engage with China in a manner of peaceful coexistence and mutual benefit, to jointly find a correct way for China and the US to get along in the new era.