Xi Jinping holds surprise meeting with senior Biden aide in Beijing

Chinese leader speaks with Jake Sullivan who was making his first visit to Beijing as US national security adviser

Xi Jinping has spoken with the US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, in a surprise meeting during the senior Biden aide's three-day visit to Beijing.

The meeting, reported by Chinese state media on Thursday afternoon, came after several days of talks between Sullivan and senior Communist party officials including the foreign minister, Wang Yi, and a vice-chair of the central military commission believed to have the ear of Xi.