Premier Li Qiang expressed hope on Sunday that the United States and China can be "partners, not adversaries", addressing US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen at the start of a bilateral meeting in Beijing.

Noting that Chinese internet users have closely followed Yellen's visit since her arrival in Guangzhou this week, Li said this shows "expectation and hope for the China-US relationship to continue to improve".

Earlier on Sunday, Yellen told Li that the ability to have difficult conversations has put the two economic superpowers on "a more stable footing" over the past year.

Yellen added that the two countries had a "duty" to responsibly manage a complex relationship.

"While we have more to do, I believe that, over the past year, we have put our bilateral relationship on more stable footing," Yellen said in prepared remarks.

"This has not meant ignoring our differences or avoiding tough conversations. It has meant understanding that we can only make progress if we directly and openly communicate with one another."

On Saturday in Guangzhou, Vice Premier He Lifeng and Yellen agreed to launch a new dialogue focused on "balanced growth", a forum that Yellen said she intends to use to advocate for a level playing field with China to protect US workers and businesses.

In a further sign of stabilising ties, President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden sought to manage tensions over the South China Sea in a nearly two-hour call on Tuesday, their first direct talks since a summit in November.

And military officials from both countries met last week for a series of rare meetings in Hawaii focused on operational safety and professionalism. (AFP/Reuters)