U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell emphasized the importance of stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea during a call with his Chinese counterpart this week, the State Department said Wednesday. Campbell spoke with China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu on Tuesday as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the two countries, according to Matthew Miller, the department's spokesperson. "The deputy secretary underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, in the South China Sea, and on the Korean Peninsula," Miller said in a statement. Campbell also raised concerns over China's support for the Russian defense industrial base during Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine. Their conversation came as Washington has been striving to "de-risk" the relationship with China and "responsibly" manage competition between the two countries by maintaining open channels of communication. Source: Yonhap News Agency