The call between US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and China's Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu came during a thaw in Washington's bruising trade war with Beijing.

The two officials "discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, and agreed on the importance of keeping open lines of communication", US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said in a statement on Thursday.

"They acknowledged the importance of the bilateral relationship to the people of both countries and the world," Bruce said.

In a statement published Friday morning in China, Beijing's foreign ministry said Ma and Landau had "exchanged views on China-US relations and important issues of common concern".

"The two sides agreed to continue to maintain communication," the statement said.

Neither statement gave further details of the discussion.

After US President Donald Trump took office in January, Washington slapped sweeping tariffs on goods imported from China as part of a trade blitz that rattled global markets and supply chains.

Beijing hit back with retaliatory duties and has consistently derided the US measures as unfair, discriminatory and designed to contain China's rise.

The two sides slashed tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days earlier this month, marking a temporary de-escalation in the trade war.