China "stressed that it will never compromise or back down on the Taiwan issue", the ministry said in a readout of the talks in Washington, held Monday and Tuesday, urging the United States to "stop arming Taiwan".

"China urged the United States to reduce its military deployment and provocative actions in the South China Sea and stop supporting violations and provocations by individual countries," the statement continued.

"The United States should fully understand the root causes of maritime and air security issues, strictly rein in its frontline troops, and stop with the exaggeration and hype," it added.

"The Chinese side also elaborated its solemn position and major concerns on issues involving China's core interests and international hotspot issues," it said.

President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping agreed in November to restart military talks between the countries, put on hold for more than a year.

Top US military officer General Charles "CQ" Brown then spoke with China's General Liu Zhenli in December, discussing "the importance of working together to responsibly manage competition", according to Washington.

This week's talks, held at the Pentagon, were led by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase and China's Major General Song Yanchao, Washington said.

"China expressed its willingness to develop healthy and stable military-to-military relations with the United States on the basis of equality and respect," the Chinese side said in its readout.

"The United States should face China's concerns squarely and take more actions that are conducive to the development of relations between the two militaries," it added.