US diplomat Jake Sullivan meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing | World News

China's official Xinhua news agency reported that Xi told Sullivan that Beijing's commitment to the goal of a “stable, healthy and lasting” China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged, according to China's Xinhua news agency.

Xi said both China and the United States should be responsible for history, people and the world, and should be “a source of stability” for world peace and a driving force for common development.

At a press conference in Beijing after the meeting, Sullivan said: “Under President Biden’s leadership, the United States has and will continue to advance our interests and values, to look out for our friends. And as we do, we believe that competition with China does not have to lead to conflict or confrontation. The key is responsible management through diplomacy.”

Since May 2023, Sullivan has held four meetings with Wang Yi. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Raimondo and their counterparts, as well as numerous other cabinet secretaries and their counterparts held discussions ahead of the Woodside Summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November 2023.

Sullivan said that during 14 hours of meetings, he discussed progress and next steps in implementing the Woodside commitments. He said those included work on counternarcotics and efforts to reduce the flow of illicit synthetic drugs into the United States, as well as military-to-military communications.

The US NSA said a “very positive outcome” of the meetings would be a call between military commanders of the Indo-Pacific Command and the commander of the Chinese military's southern theater.

“Among other issues of global concern, we discussed recent efforts to reach a ceasefire and an agreement to release hostages in Gaza,” Sullivan said, according to a White House statement.

Sullivan said that in all his meetings he stressed “the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

He stressed the United States' commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and reaffirmed the United States' commitment to its Indo-Pacific allies, including concerns about “destabilizing actions against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the South China Sea.”

Sullivan said they had not reached “any specific agreement on the South China Sea,” because it is not up to the United States to make agreements with China without considering parties like the Philippines. “We have indicated and reiterated our long-standing commitment to our ally and our long-standing commitment to the rule of law, freedom of navigation and the free exercise of maritime rights in the South China Sea. And we will continue to do so,” he said.

Sullivan described the meetings with Chinese officials as “constructive, frank and substantive conversations.”

In response to a reporter's question, Sullivan said that during his meetings with Chinese officials, they did not discuss the upcoming U.S. presidential election.

Sullivan said a meeting between Biden and Xi was likely since both leaders will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and G20 summits later this year.

“I have no announcement to make about President Biden's trip or a possible meeting, but it is likely that they will both be there, and if they are, it would be natural for them to have the opportunity to sit down together,” the US NSA said, adding that things moving in this direction seem logical and reasonable.

Sullivan said the United States remains deeply concerned about China's support for Russia's defense industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security and Russia's brutal aggression against Ukraine.

“It is critical for this administration to address the cases of American citizens wrongfully detained or banned from traveling in China. And this was another opportunity for me to raise those cases, as I have done in my previous engagements,” Sullivan said.

He added that it was essential to keep the lines of communication open and that to that end the United States and China were planning “a leaders-level conference call in the coming weeks, during which I expect these discussions to continue.”

In his Aug. 29 meeting with Gen. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission in Beijing, Sullivan stressed that both countries have a responsibility to prevent competition from escalating into conflict or confrontation.

Both sides reaffirmed the importance of regular military communications as part of efforts to maintain high-level diplomacy and open lines of communication, the White House said.

During his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on August 27-28, Sullivan discussed next steps to reduce the flow of illicit synthetic drugs, continued repatriation of undocumented migrants and cooperation between law enforcement agencies.

They stressed the importance of concrete action to address the climate crisis and welcomed continued discussions during the upcoming trip to China by the president's senior adviser for international climate policy, John Podesta, the White House said.

First published: August 30, 2024 | 11:26 a.m. EAST