U.S. President Joe Biden looks forward to talks with Xi Jinping in the “coming weeks,” senior White House adviser Jake Sullivan told the Chinese leader on Thursday as they met for rare talks in Beijing.
Sullivan, the first U.S. national security adviser to visit China since 2016, met with Xi at the conclusion of three days of talks in Beijing, where he also sat down with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior officials.
His visit came at a time when China was embroiled in security disputes with US allies Japan and the Philippines.
In a meeting with Xi in Beijing’s ornate Great Hall of the People on Thursday, he said President Biden “looks forward to engaging with you again in the coming weeks.”
“President Biden is committed to responsibly managing this important relationship to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict or confrontation, and to working together where our interests align,” he said.
Chinese state media reported that Xi told Sullivan that despite “major changes,” China and the United States could still enjoy good relations.
“China’s commitment to the goal of stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations remains unchanged,” Xi said.
“We hope the US will work with China to meet each other halfway,” he added, according to CCTV.
On Wednesday, Sullivan and top diplomat Wang discussed plans for their leaders to speak in the coming weeks.
They also clashed over China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions.
Taiwan’s “red line”
On Thursday morning, Sullivan met with senior Chinese military official Zhang Youxia at the headquarters of the Central Military Commission in Beijing, where the two discussed Taiwan and other contentious issues.
“It’s rare that we have the opportunity to have this kind of exchange,” Sullivan told Zhang in his opening remarks.
The officials agreed to hold a call between commanders from the two sides “in the near future,” according to a White House statement.
Sullivan also raised the importance of “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have clashed in recent months, and “stability” in the Taiwan Strait, Washington said.
Zhang, in turn, warned that the status of the autonomous island was “the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations.”
“China has always been committed to maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he said, according to a statement from Beijing’s Ministry of Defense.
“But ‘Taiwan independence’ and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are incompatible,” he said.
“China demands that the US stop military collusion with Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan, and stop spreading false narratives related to Taiwan,” Zhang added.
He also called on Washington to “work with China to promote communication and exchanges between the two militaries and jointly shoulder the responsibilities of major powers.”
‘Avoid miscalculations’
China has maintained an antagonistic stance since the inauguration this year of President Lai Ching-te, whose party emphasizes Taiwan’s separate identity.
In Thursday’s talks, Sullivan also expressed “concerns about (Chinese) support for Russia’s defense industrial base,” the statement added, echoing long-standing U.S. claims that Beijing has rejected.
He also raised “the need to avoid miscalculation and escalation in cyberspace, and ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage agreement in Gaza,” the White House said.
Sullivan’s visit comes months before the US election in November.
If Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris wins, she would be expected to continue Biden’s approach of seeking dialogue with China while maintaining pressure.
His Republican rival Donald Trump has vowed, at least rhetorically, to take a tougher line, and some of his advisers foresee a far-reaching global confrontation with China.
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