US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang by telephone.

The talks took place on Sunday, as Qin was leaving Washington for his new role.

China appointed the ambassador to the United States to head the foreign ministry on Friday.

Blinken tweeted that he and Qin discussed the US-China relationship and maintaining open lines of communication.

Ties between the two countries have become strained over issues such as Taiwan. Last month, a US Air Force reconnaissance plane and a Chinese military fighter jet came within about 6 meters of each other over the South China Sea.

Blinken is arranging his visit to China early this year.