Donald Trump meets China's state councillor

Yang had travelled to Washington on the White House's invitation, two weeks after Trump gave in to Beijing's demand of recognizing the One China policy with reference to Taiwan.

Washington, Feb 28: US President Donald Trump held a brief meeting with the China's state councillor in his first one-on-one interaction with a senior official from the country.

White House spokesperson Sean Spicer said Yang Jiechi met Trump on Monday, following his meetings with National Security Adviser H R McMaster, presidential adviser Jared Kushner and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, Efe news reported.

"It was an opportunity to start a dialogue," said Spicer, adding Yang and the US officials discussed shared interests in national security.

Yang had travelled to Washington on the White House's invitation, two weeks after Trump gave in to Beijing's demand of recognizing the One China policy with reference to Taiwan. Trump, in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, had also laid the foundations for a future meeting that may take place during the July G20 summit in Germany.

IANS