Xi meets with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a bid to improve ties

Xi Jinping meets with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing

President Xi Jinping met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan yesterday  in Beijing, on a visit with the stated aim of keeping communications open between the two powers, as the relationship between China and the United States has become increasingly tense in recent years.

Sullivan, on his first trip to China in his capacity as the main adviser to President Joe Biden on U.S. national security issues, has met with senior Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a senior general of the Central Military Commission.

China and the U.S. have become increasingly at odds over various issues, starting with a trade war dating back to 2018, and which now encompasses global security matters, such as China’s claims over the South China Sea, and industrial policy on things like automobile and solar panel manufacturing.

Both sides said yesterday that they remain committed to managing the relationship. Xi and Biden met in San Francisco last November in an effort to improve ties.

“Although the situations of the two countries and China-U.S. relations have changed greatly, China’s goal of being committed to the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations has not changed,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

“President Biden is committed to responsibly managing this consequential relationship to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict or confrontation, and to work together where our interests align,” Sullivan said.

Beijing and Washington will also plan for a phone call in the coming weeks between Xi and Biden, the White House said Wednesday. The White House statement said that both sides would keep lines of communication open.

There was no indication that the two leaders might meet in person before Biden leaves the Oval Office.

The White House said the two sides also planned to hold a military theater commander phone call in the near future.

China has rapidly expanded its military, and there are concerns that Taiwan and the South China Sea are becoming flashpoints.

Wang, China’s top diplomat, told Sullivan that Taiwan’s independence poses the greatest threat to stability in the immediate region. He demanded that the U.S. “stop arming the island but support China’s peaceful unification,” according to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

The White House statement said Sullivan “underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

Sullivan met with China’s vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, yesterday morning (see text on this page).

Beijing also warned Washington “not to support or indulge the Philippines to infringe” upon China’s rights and interests in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines have clashed over the Second Thomas Shoal, and lately the Sabina Shoal.

The U.S. military has pushed back against China’s claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, saying this week that it would be open to consultations about escorting Philippine ships in the disputed sea amid a spike in hostilities between Beijing and Manila on the issue.

The White House said that Sullivan reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies.

John Podesta, the senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, will travel to China, and Sullivan and Wang discussed “next steps to reduce the flow of illicit synthetic drugs” and “continue repatriation of undocumented migrants,” the White House said.

In July, the U.S. Border Patrol made 1,851 arrests of Chinese immigrants on the border with Mexico, down from the December high of 5,951.

The two sides also agreed to hold a second round of dialogue over artificial intelligence, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Sullivan raised continued concerns about China’s trade policies and nonmarket economic practices, the White House said.

Wang demanded that the U.S. “stop suppressing China in the areas of trade, economic and technology,” the Chinese foreign ministry said.

By resorting to protectionism, the U.S. would only “hurt the global green development and affect the global economic growth,” Wang told Sullivan. MDT/AP