The United States and European Union on Thursday voiced strong concern at China's "problematic and unilateral actions" in the South China Sea and stressed the need for close contact to manage "competition and systemic rivalry" with Beijing.

The joint statement followed talks in Washington between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Stefano Sannino.

It "emphasized the importance of the United States and EU maintaining continuous and close contacts on our respective approaches as we invest and grow our economies, cooperate with China where possible, and manage our competition and systemic rivalry with China responsibly."

The statement also said the two sides discussed rights abuses in China, including repression of religious minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet and the erosion of autonomy in Hong Kong. It said they expressed readiness to deepen U.S.-EU information sharing on disinformation sponsored or supported by China.

"They expressed strong concern over China's problematic and unilateral actions in the South and East China Seas and the Taiwan Strait that undermine peace and security in the region and have a direct impact on the security and prosperity of both the United States and European Union," the statement added.

The statement followed the second meeting of the U.S.-EU Dialogue on China established this year. Sherman and Sannino are due to continue China-related discussions with high-level consultations on the Indo-Pacific on Friday.

U.S. President Joe Biden has stressed the importance of working closely with allies in pushing back against China's growing power and increasingly assertive behavior worldwide.