US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, wrapping up three days of wide-ranging talks aimed at easing tensions between the two world powers ahead of November’s US election.
As the pair sat down in the Great Hall of the People, Mr Xi told Mr Sullivan that Beijing was committed to a stable relationship with Washington. “In this changing and turbulent world countries need solidarity and co-ordination...not exclusion or regress,” Mr Xi said.
Mr Sullivan told the Chinese leader that US president Joe Biden was committed to managing the relationship to avoid conflict and “looks forward to engaging with you in coming weeks”.
This week’s discussions covered a range of issues complicating ties between the countries. Mr Sullivan’s in-tray included tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia, and US demands for more Chinese help to stem the flow of the ingredients for fentanyl, the leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.
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Before meeting Mr Xi Mr Sullivan had a rare meeting with General Zhang Youxia, the vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, who is a considered by diplomats to be the president’s key military adviser.
With General Zhang Mr Sullivan pushed for enhanced working-level communications between the countries’ armed forces during what was the first meeting between the military leader and a Biden administration official.
Mr Sullivan said afterwards that both countries had a responsibility to prevent competition from veering into conflict or confrontation. “Given the state of the world and the need for us to responsibly manage US-China relations, I think it’s a very important meeting,” he said.
Both referred to progress in military communications and arrangements for theatre-level commanders to speak soon by telephone, which the United States has pushed for amid increased regional deployments.
The White House said Mr Sullivan also emphasised the need for stability across the Taiwan Strait and freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea, a vital trade waterway, and raised concerns about China’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base.
General Zhang is believed to be close to Mr Xi and has survived turmoil in China’s military ranks. Western and Asian diplomats say he is more powerful than the defence minister, who more frequently meets foreign officials.
Mr Sullivan also had extensive discussions with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Tuesday and Wednesday. During their meetings Mr Wang and Mr Sullivan discussed the prospect of fresh talks soon between the US and Chinese presidents and shared contrasting perspectives on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, trade between their two countries and Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea.
“The key to the smooth development of China-US interaction lies in treating each other as equals,” Mr Wang told his US guest, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The White House said the two held "candid, substantive, and constructive discussions".
In the final months of his presidency ahead of the November 5th election Mr Biden has pushed direct diplomacy to influence Mr Xi and keep tensions at bay. US vice-president Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, is expected to pursue a similar strategy. However, many analysts aligned with the Republican candidate, former president Donald Trump, see that approach as too soft in the face of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy. – Reuters
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