Xi Jinping Meets US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Improve US-China Relations

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday 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. Sullivan's trip this week is meant to keep the tensions from growing further. "We believe that competition with China does not have to lead to conflict or confrontation. The key is responsible management through diplomacy," he told reporters as he made ready to depart Beijing on Thursday evening. Both sides said Thursday 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. "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. Xi said that he is willing to continue communications with Biden, according to CCTV. Sullivan said the two leaders might meet in person before Biden leaves the Oval Office, possibly at the next Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. Xi and Sullivan's meeting also touched on the issues of American citizens detained in China; Taiwan; and the clashes between the Chinese and Filipino coast guards in the South China Sea. The two also discussed China's support for Russia, as a recent U.S. assessment found that the country was exporting technology that Russia uses to manufacture missiles, tanks and other weaponry. They also discussed efforts to end the Ukraine war, but Sullivan said they did not make any progress on that issue. Sullivan said that the two sides 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, underscoring the importance of military-to-military communications that were previously broken off, but were reinstated after the Xi-Biden summit last November. A decades old-issue, Taiwan in recent years has re-emerged as a critical issue as the island's ties with China became increasingly strained over Chinese claims that Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that split from authoritarian communist China in 1949, has rejected Beijing's demands that it accept unification with the mainland by peace or by force. The U.S. is obligated under a domestic law to provide the island with sufficient hardware and technology to deter invasion. Sullivan also met China's vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, on Thursday morning, in a rare meeting to discuss communication between the world's two biggest militaries. Zhang raised the issue of Taiwan, saying it was a critical issue."China demands that the United States stop military collusion between the U.S. and Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan and stop spreading false narratives about Taiwan," according to a Chinese Defense Ministry statement of the meeting. Zhang has spoken in the past of Beijing's determination to take control of Taiwan. At an international naval gathering earlier this year in northeast China, Zhang said China would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. He said that China's territorial sovereignty "brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland." The White House statement said Sullivan "underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." 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. Sullivan said Thursday that they have made clear the U.S.' "longstanding commitment" to the Philippines, as well as concerns about the Chinese Coast Guard ramming Filipino vessels in recent days. The Philippines has called for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to do more. The 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which have South China Sea claims that overlap with each other as well as China's and Taiwan's. The U.S. has shifted its policy with China from engagement to competition. The Biden administration has made it a priority to prevent the competition from spiraling out of control, while seeking to collaborate with China in areas such as climate change, artificial intelligence and enforcement against illicit drugs. 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.

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met in Beijing to maintain open communications. Their discussion focused on managing the tense relationship, addressing Taiwan and South China Sea. Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday 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. Sullivan's trip this week is meant to keep the tensions from growing further. "We believe that competition with China does not have to lead to conflict or confrontation. The key is responsible management through diplomacy," he told reporters as he made ready to depart Beijing on Thursday evening. Both sides said Thursday 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. "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. Xi said that he is willing to continue communications with Biden, according to CCTV. Sullivan said the two leaders might meet in person before Biden leaves the Oval Office, possibly at the next Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. Xi and Sullivan's meeting also touched on the issues of American citizens detained in China; Taiwan; and the clashes between the Chinese and Filipino coast guards in the South China Sea. The two also discussed China's support for Russia, as a recent U.S. assessment found that the country was exporting technology that Russia uses to manufacture missiles, tanks and other weaponry. They also discussed efforts to end the Ukraine war, but Sullivan said they did not make any progress on that issue. Sullivan said that the two sides 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, underscoring the importance of military-to-military communications that were previously broken off, but were reinstated after the Xi-Biden summit last November. A decades old-issue, Taiwan in recent years has re-emerged as a critical issue as the island's ties with China became increasingly strained over Chinese claims that Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that split from authoritarian communist China in 1949, has rejected Beijing's demands that it accept unification with the mainland by peace or by force. The U.S. is obligated under a domestic law to provide the island with sufficient hardware and technology to deter invasion. Sullivan also met China's vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, on Thursday morning, in a rare meeting to discuss communication between the world's two biggest militaries. Zhang raised the issue of Taiwan, saying it was a critical issue."China demands that the United States stop military collusion between the U.S. and Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan and stop spreading false narratives about Taiwan," according to a Chinese Defense Ministry statement of the meeting. Zhang has spoken in the past of Beijing's determination to take control of Taiwan. At an international naval gathering earlier this year in northeast China, Zhang said China would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. He said that China's territorial sovereignty "brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland." The White House statement said Sullivan "underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." 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. Sullivan said Thursday that they have made clear the U.S.' "longstanding commitment" to the Philippines, as well as concerns about the Chinese Coast Guard ramming Filipino vessels in recent days. The Philippines has called for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to do more. The 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which have South China Sea claims that overlap with each other as well as China's and Taiwan's. The U.S. has shifted its policy with China from engagement to competition. The Biden administration has made it a priority to prevent the competition from spiraling out of control, while seeking to collaborate with China in areas such as climate change, artificial intelligence and enforcement against illicit drugs. 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.

Chinese leader Xi meets with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday 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 Thursday 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. Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that split from authoritarian communist China in 1949, has rejected Beijing's demands that it accept unification with the mainland by peace or by force. The U.S. is obligated under a domestic law to provide the island with sufficient hardware and technology to deter invasion. The White House statement said Sullivan "underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait." Sullivan planned to meet with China's vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, on Thursday morning, according to a senior Biden administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet to be publicly announced meeting. Zhang has spoken in the past of Beijing's determination to take control of Taiwan. At an international naval gathering earlier this year in northeast China, Zhang said China would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. He said that China's territorial sovereignty "brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland." 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 and expressed concern about Beijing's destabilizing actions against "lawful Philippine maritime operations" in the South China Sea. The Philippines has called for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to do more. The 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which have South China Sea claims that overlap with each other as well as China's and Taiwan's. The U.S. has shifted its policy with China from engagement to competition. The Biden administration has made it a priority to prevent the competition from spiraling out of control, while seeking to collaborate with China in areas such as climate change, artificial intelligence and enforcement against illicit drugs. 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. ___ Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from Washington.

Chinese leader Xi meets with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a bid to improve ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday (August 29, 2024) 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. Mr. 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. Also Read: Competition and conflict: On the U.S.-China relationship Both sides said Thursday (August 29) that they remain committed to managing the relationship. Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden met in San Francisco last November in an effort to improve ties. "Although the situations of the two countries and China-US relations have changed greatly, China's goal of being committed to the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations has not changed," Mr. 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 Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden, the White House said on 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 Mr. Biden leaves the Oval Office. The White House said the two sides also planned to hold a military theatre 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. Mr. Wang, China's top diplomat, told Mr. 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. Taiwan, a self-governing island democracy that split from authoritarian communist China in 1949, has rejected Beijing's demands that it accept unification with the mainland by peace or by force. The US is obligated under a domestic law to provide the island with sufficient hardware and technology to deter invasion. The White House statement said Mr. Sullivan "underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait". Mr. Sullivan planned to meet with China's vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia, on Thursday morning, according to a senior Biden administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the yet to be publicly announced meeting. Mr. Zhang has spoken in the past of Beijing's determination to take control of Taiwan. At an international naval gathering earlier this year in northeast China, Zhang said China would strike back with force if its interests came under threat. He said that China's territorial sovereignty "brooks no infringement and its core interests cannot be challenged. We do not provoke trouble, but we will never flinch in face of provocation. The Chinese military will resolutely defend the reunification and interest of the motherland". 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 and expressed concern about Beijing's destabilizing actions against "lawful Philippine maritime operations" in the South China Sea. The Philippines has called for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to do more. The 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc includes the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, which have South China Sea claims that overlap with each other as well as China's and Taiwan's. The U.S. has shifted its policy with China from engagement to competition. The Biden administration has made it a priority to prevent the competition from spiralling out of control while seeking to collaborate with China in areas such as climate change, artificial intelligence and enforcement against illicit drugs. John Podesta, the senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, will travel to China, and Mr. Sullivan and Mr. 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. Mr. Sullivan raised continued concerns about China's trade policies and nonmarket economic practices, the White House said. Mr. 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 US would only "hurt the global green development and affect the global economic growth", Mr. Wang told Mr. Sullivan. Read Comments

US-China meeting paves way for leader talks in 'near future'

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan discussed setting up new talks between their presidents in meetings aimed at managing the two nations' difficult relationship. "The two sides discussed a new round of interaction between the two heads of state in the near future," China's Foreign Ministry said in a readout published Wednesday evening, without saying how those communications will be conducted. A U.S. readout that followed noted that "both sides welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication, including planning for a leader-level call in the coming weeks." The two sides also agreed to hold a theater commander phone call "in the near future," according to the U.S. readout. John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for international climate policy, is slated to travel to China to further discussions on climate cooperation. Wang repeated China's positions on a range of contentious issues from its territorial claim over self-ruled Taiwan to its objection to U.S. curbs on its tech ambitions. The Chinese diplomat also expressed a desire to stabilize ties between the world's two largest economies that frayed during the Biden administration. He urged the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and reasserted Beijing's claims in the South China Sea, calling on Washington not to "condone violations" by the Philippines. The remarks came after US Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, said the country was willing to accompany Philippine vessels during resupply missions in the disputed body of water amid recurring confrontations with Chinese ships. For his part, Sullivan conveyed ongoing efforts to prevent advanced technology from undermining U.S. national security, concerns around stability in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, and China's support for Russia's industrial base as well as longstanding U.S. policies on human rights. The two sides also raised shared worries about North Korea, Burma, and the Middle East, according to the U.S. readout. Despite their differences, the two sides agreed to maintain high-level exchanges and cooperation in areas such as anti-narcotic enforcement, climate change and artificial intelligence, according to the Chinese readout. Sullivan is the first U.S. national security advisor to visit China since 2016. His trip comes months before the U.S. presidential vote in November that pits Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump. While both candidates are set to maintain a tough stance on the world's No. 2 economy, the Republican has threatened a blanket 60% tariff on Chinese exports. President Joe Biden and Xi last met at a summit in San Francisco in November 2023, where they held talks that helped stabilize ties and rebuild a series of communication channels. But while Biden has repeatedly touted spending "more time" with Xi than any other world leader at "about 90 hours," he is set to be the first U.S. president since Jimmy Carter not to travel to China while in office, if he doesn't make it to the Asian nation before January. Strict Covid controls prevented travel into China during the global pandemic, and saw Xi remain within his nation's borders for years - severely curtailing his international travel agenda and removing the opportunity for face-to-face diplomatic exchanges. Relations between the two superpowers plunged during that period, after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, causing Beijing to suspend military talks. Other issues have hampered ties. Beijing has complained about U.S. efforts to cut off China from advanced tech, including semiconductors, and the White House's moves to work with allies on security and economic issues. Canada announced it will impose tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, aluminum and steel hours before Sullivan arrived in Beijing. Despite those frictions, Sullivan and Wang have met face-to-face every few months in recent years as part of Biden's push to keep open lines of communication, in a mechanism known as the "strategic channel." ------- (With assistance from Colum Murphy and Michelle Jamrisko.)

U.S., China agree to post-election Xi, Biden call, extend military talks

The White House on Wednesday described Sullivan's two-day talks from Tuesday to the following day with China's foreign minister Wang Yi as "candid, substantive, and constructive," according to a readout of his meeting with Chinese officials. On Wednesday, the administration stated both China and the U.S. "welcomed" renewed efforts to maintain an open line and clear channel of communication, which now include plans for a "leader-level" call in "coming weeks" between Xi and Biden, who is now set to exit the president in January after his single four-year term. They also reaffirmed the importance of "regular, ongoing military-to-military communication" with similar plans to have a "theater commander" call in "the near future." Their talks this week were centered on the implementation of plans and renewed commitments to take the lead on other global matters touching a variety of bilateral, regional and global issues such as ending the flow of illicit narcotics from China to U.S. markets, "military-to-military communications" and AI safety and risk. Sullivan's two-day trip to Asia to meet with Wang, the director of China's Foreign Affairs Commission and part of the Communist Party's top brass in its now 20th sitting politburo, covered a wide range of important topics between the two nations. The administration said it was part of the ongoing diplomatic efforts to keep open the two-way line of communications between the United States and China after a rocky several months, and as next steps to "responsibly manage the relationship" between the two nations by outlining the progress and next steps to crucial plans as they were outlined by Xi and Biden at their November 2023 Woodside Summit in California. Biden and Xi last met in person during November's visit, after which China pledged to crack down on the flow of Fentanyl into the United Statues as use of the powerful opiate has soared in recent years. An unnamed senior Biden administration official told POLITICO prior to Sullivan's visit the purpose of their "strategic level of communication" was so to allow the two global economic and military powers "really to get into details" on topics the White House was looking at as "intensive policy" and "how we see different situations." Sullivan had previously met with Wang prior to the Biden-Xi summit and the two world leaders are expected to attend the 2024 G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after the U.S. presidential election. "It really is about clearing up misperceptions and avoiding this competition from gearing into conflict, more than anything else," a senior unnamed White House official told Politico in an interview," the unnamed official was quoted as saying. In April, the two leaders discussed AI, counternarcotics as well as Russian access to Chinese technology. On Wednesday, n addition to high-level talks on next steps to reduce the global flow of illicit synthetic drugs, the two diplomats touched on the the cooperation of law enforcement on the continued repatriation of undocumented migrants. Sullivan underscored with Wang at their visit "the importance of concrete steps" to tackle the world climate crisis, with China likewise "welcoming further discussions" to take place during a later visit by John Podesta, Biden's senior advisor for international climate policy. It remains one of America's top priorities, according to the White House, to resolve the cases of wrongfully detained American citizens who had been subjected to Chinese exit bans, Sullivan expressed to Wang. The administration said Sullivan also reinforced the "U.S. commitment to universal human rights and fundamental freedoms." International stability and peace, specifically in the Taiwan Strait region, was also a vital topic of discussion between Wang and Sullivan as a spike in diplomatic tensions over recent months and years has been apparent. Wang warned the U.S. on Wednesday that Taiwan's independence poses the greatest threat to regional stability and would launch a war if Taiwan were ever to officially declare independence. The United States has expressed concern over China's ongoing financial support for the base of Russia's defense industry as a beneficiary to the Russian war in Ukraine and "its impact on European and transatlantic security." Noting the importance of ongoing efforts at "strategic channel of communication" over the last bumpy year of icy diplomatic relations, Sullivan told Wang the U.S. remains committed to "maintaining high-level diplomacy and working level consultations on an ongoing basis." Addressing the Indo-Pacific, Sullivan also reaffirmed the U.S. position on its allied military commitments to other nations in the region, expressing concern about the Chinese government's "destabilizing actions against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea." But the two did have shared concerns over matters relating to Burma, the neighboring Asian nation to China's south formally known as Myanmar, ongoing issues in the Middle East and the Korean peninsula which comprises the Communist-aligned North Korea pitted against the U.S.-aligned South Korea.

Joe Biden, Xi Jinping plan to hold talks soon, says White House

Sullivan and Wang noted the importance of the strategic channel of communication over the past 18 months and committed to maintaining high-level diplomacy and working level consultations on an ongoing basis, the White House said. The two also discussed progress and next steps on implementation of the Woodside Summit commitments, including counternarcotics, military-to-military communications, and Artificial Intelligence safety and risk. The top US and Chinese diplomats discussed next steps to reduce the flow of illicit synthetic drugs, continue repatriation of undocumented migrants, and law enforcement cooperation. They also underscored the importance of concrete steps to tackle the climate crisis and welcomed further discussions during Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta's upcoming travel to China. Sullivan emphasized that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced US technologies from being used to undermine its national security, without unduly limiting trade or investment. The US National Security Advisor in his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister also raised continued concerns about China's unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices. Sullivan reiterated that it remains a top priority to resolve the cases of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China. He also underscored the long-standing US commitment to universal human rights and fundamental freedoms, the White House stated. Sullivan's visit was the fifth time that the US NSA and Wang were holding strategic talks since May 2023 and the first time US National Security Advisor to visit China in eight years. Sullivan underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and emphasized concerns about Chinese support for Russia's defence industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security. Sullivan reaffirmed the United States' commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies and expressed concern about Chinese destabilizing actions against "lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea." The two sides also discussed shared concerns about the North Korea, Myanmar and West Asia. Meanwhile, Sullivan on August 29 met with General Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and stressed that both countries have a responsibility to prevent competition from veering into conflict or confrontation, according to a read out from White House. The two sides reaffirmed the importance of regular military-to-military communications as part of efforts to maintain high-level diplomacy and open lines of communication, as directed by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the November 2023 Woodside Summit. Both Sullivan and Zhang recognized the progress in sustained, regular military-military communications over the past ten months and planned to hold a theatre commander telephone call in the near future, the White House said. Sullivan also raised the importance of cross-Strait peace and stability, the US commitment to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, concerns about Chinese support for Russia's defence industrial base, the need to avoid miscalculation and escalation in cyber space, and ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to speak by phone in effort to improve U.S.-China ties

HONG KONG -- U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will speak by phone "in the coming weeks," the White House said Wednesday, as part of an effort to improve relations between the two superpowers. The announcement came as national security adviser Jake Sullivan wrapped up two days of talks in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The White House said the two sides had held "candid, substantive and constructive" talks on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues. "Both sides welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication, including planning for a leader-level call in the coming weeks," it said in a readout of the Sullivan-Wang meeting. A readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two sides "discussed a new round of interaction between the two heads of state in the near future." Both sides said there are also plans for a call between their respective military theater commanders. Xi agreed to resume military-to-military communications last year after cutting them off in 2022 in response to a visit to Taiwan by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the U.S. House speaker at the time. Ties between the world's two largest economies are strained by a number of issues, including tech and trade restrictions, Beijing's alleged support for Russia's war in Ukraine, tensions in the South China Sea and the status of Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its territory. Both sides appeared to stand firm on those issues in readouts of the meeting. The Biden administration has sought to "responsibly manage" competition with China while also seeking areas for cooperation such as climate change and the international flow of illicit drugs. But relations reached their lowest point in decades early last year after the appearance of a Chinese spy balloon over North America that was shot down by the U.S. military. In an attempt to stabilize what is generally considered the most important bilateral relationship in the world, Sullivan and Wang have held a series of backchannel meetings since last year. They met in Vienna in May 2023, Malta in September 2023 and Bangkok in January 2024. Wang also visited Washington in October 2023 to meet with Biden. But this was Sullivan's first trip to China as national security adviser, and the first by a national security adviser since Susan Rice near the end of the Obama administration in 2016. "We are working to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict, and that we find ways to work together where our interests align," Sullivan said after arriving in Beijing on Tuesday. Biden and Xi have spoken only once by phone since November, when they held four hours of talks in California on the sidelines of a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders. With direct contact between them being so rare, the two leaders have few opportunities left to interact one-on-one before Biden leaves the White House early next year. During their talks in November, Biden and Xi reached agreements in several areas including counternarcotics, military-to-military communications, and artificial intelligence safety and risk. The White House said Sullivan and Wang discussed next steps for implementing those agreements. China said Wednesday that a second round of U.S.-China talks on artificial intelligence was being planned. They also discussed cooperation in other areas such as the repatriation of undocumented migrants and climate change. China and the U.S. are the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters. Without specifying a date, the White House readout mentioned an upcoming trip to China by John Podesta, who recently succeeded John Kerry as the U.S. climate envoy.

US, China senior officials agree to Biden-Xi call in coming weeks

Senior officials from the U.S. and China agreed to plan for a call between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coming weeks, part of efforts to stabilize the fragile relationship between Washington and Beijing. The agreement for a leader-level call came during a meeting on Wednesday in Beijing between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China's top foreign affairs official Wang Yi. Sullivan is participating in meetings over the course of three days in China. The call would follow agreements between Biden and Xi reached at a summit in Woodside, California in November to increase communication between the two sides at the top level. China also agreed to hold a "theater commander telephone call in the near future," the White House said in a readout of the meeting between Sullivan and Wang. A senior administration official, briefing reporters last week ahead of Sullivan's trip, said restoring communication lines on the theater commander level was a key goal of the trip. The U.S. has sought to re-establish military-to-military communication that the Chinese had severed in the wake of a visit to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022. Sullivan is expected to host a press conference on Thursday following the conclusion of the meetings. The White House did not expect specific concrete agreements or deliverables to emerge from the meetings, but said they were part "responsibly managing competition and tensions." The Biden administration has sought to engage diplomatically with China on specific issues, even as the relationship is extremely strained over several areas. This includes China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine; China's anger over U.S. support for Taiwan's military defense; U.S. concern over what it describes as China's unfair trade and economic practices; increasing Chinese provocations in the South China Sea; U.S. concerns over Americans detained in China; and the Chinese government's human rights abuses -- with the U.S. recognizing the government as carrying out a genocide against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Still, Biden has sought to guard against military confrontation by making restoring military-to-military communication a priority area of diplomacy with Beijing. The U.S. has also viewed working with the Chinese to crack down on the export of precursor chemicals for the drug fentanyl as a crucial piece of addressing the opioid epidemic in the U.S. The administration is also trying to work with China to discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence, over concerns that failure to regulate and manage the development of the technology will present major security and safety risks across the globe. "The purpose of this strategic level of communication is really to get into details on how our strategic intent, intent of policy, how we see different situations," the senior administration official said in the call with reporters last week. "It really is about clearing up misperceptions and avoiding this competition from veering into conflict more than anything else."

Biden and Xi to speak after rare U.S. security adviser trip to China

BEIJING -- U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to speak over the phone in "coming weeks," the White House said Wednesday. The announcement came amid U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan's trip to Beijing this week to meet with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat. Both sides said their military leaders would also hold a call in the near future. Chin added that plans for the second round of U.S.-China talks on artificial intelligence are underway. The White House noted John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for international climate policy, would soon travel to China, without specifying a date. In official readouts of Sullivan's trip, the two nations maintained their positions on tech restrictions, Taiwan, the South China Sea and Ukraine.