VALLETTA -- Senior Chinese and US officials held multiple rounds of meetings in Malta on Saturday and Sunday, agreeing to maintain high-level exchanges and hold consultations on Asia-Pacific issues, maritime affairs as well as foreign policies.

The meetings were between Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in the China-US relationship and the US must abide by the three China-US joint communiques and honor its commitment to not support "Taiwan independence."

The two sides conducted candid, substantive and constructive strategic communication on stabilizing and improving China-US relations.

Wang said China's development has strong endogenous driving force and follows inevitable historical logic and it cannot be stopped. The Chinese people's legitimate right to development cannot be deprived, he added.