U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, July 27. AP-Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had an extensive conversation with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi about Taiwan on Saturday, where he raised concerns about Beijing's recent provocative actions, a senior U.S. official said.

Those actions included a simulated blockade during the inauguration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, the senior State Department official said, adding that Blinken and Wang agreed to keep making progress on their countries' military-to military ties.

The two met for one hour and 20 minutes on the sidelines of a regional summit, where Blinken also discussed China's support for Russia's defence industrial base and warned that the U.S. would take action against Chinese firms aiding the war in Ukraine, the official said, adding there was no commitment from Wang on the issue. (Reuters)