AFP

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and China's Wang Yi meet Friday in New York, against the backdrop of tensions over Taiwan.

The two men will meet on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in their first meeting since talks in July in Bali, during which they expressed their desire for dialogue.

A month later, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi flew to Taiwan, angering Beijing and rekindling tensions between the two superpowers.

In an interview Sunday, US President Joe Biden confirmed that he is ready to intervene militarily if China uses force to change the status quo on Taiwan, a statement that constitutes a new deviation from the US strategy of ambiguity on the island. But as it often happens, the White House asserted that US policy toward Taiwan "has not changed."

In a sign of calm, the Chinese minister said Thursday that he met in New York with US climate envoy and former Secretary of State John Kerry, although Beijing suspended coordination with Washington in this area in response to Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.

In Thursday's speech, Wang reiterated Beijing's anger at the United States' support for the island, which China considers an integral part of its territory.

"The Taiwan issue is becoming the most serious tension issue in US-China relations," he said.

He stressed to the "Asia Society" research center that "if there is mismanagement (of the issue), this may destroy the bilateral relations" between the two countries.

"Just as the United States does not allow Hawaii (to separate from it), China has the right to demand the reunification of the country," Wang added.

However, Friday's discussions should allow preparations for a possible first meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, which could take place in Bali in November on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

Wang considered that the two countries want to make "US-China relations go" without confrontation, noting that Washington is playing on several ropes at the same time.

And the US Congress is a fierce supporter of Taiwan. And recently, a bill specifically providing for the first direct US military assistance to Taiwan passed a key stage in the Senate.

Blinken met Thursday in New York with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts, and before meeting Wang, he is scheduled to hold talks within the framework of the Quad Quartet alliance, which includes the United States, Australia, India and Japan.