Kerry in 'frank' talks with top Chinese official

 US Secretary of State John Kerry wined and dined a top Chinese official on Friday as Washington and Beijing grapple with a number of bilateral differences and global issues, AFP reports.

Kerry treated State Councillor Yang Jiechi to a small dinner at his private residence in Boston, a senior State Department official said, ahead of more discussions over the weekend.

"The secretary and the state councillor used the dinner for informal and in-depth discussions and to speak frankly about ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship, improve cooperation on global and regional issues, and better manage differences," the official said.

"The secretary and the state councillor will meet again tomorrow to continue their discussions."

Separately, at the Pentagon, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work met Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong, a counterpart at the People's Liberation Army.

North Korea, Iran, the Ebola virus and the protests in Hong Kong are prominent among a range of pressing subjects likely to come up in the talks between Kerry and Yang.