Sullivan, Xi meet in Beijing to discuss China-U.S. relations, global security

BEIJING:

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, wrapping up three days of talks aimed at easing friction between the two world powers ahead of the U.S. election in November.

As the two men sat in the Great Hall of the People, Xi Jinping told Sullivan that Beijing was committed to a stable relationship with Washington.

“In this changing and turbulent world, countries need solidarity and coordination…not exclusion or regression,” Xi said.

Sullivan told Xi that U.S. President Joe Biden was committed to managing the relationship in a way that avoids conflict and “looks forward to engaging with you in the weeks ahead.”

The White House said after the meeting that the two sides planned a phone conversation between Xi and Biden soon.

During what he later said were 14 hours of talks, Sullivan addressed a range of issues that complicate relations between the two countries. They include tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia, as well as U.S. requests for Chinese help in stemming the flow of fentanyl ingredients, a leading cause of overdoses in the United States.

But significant differences remain on some issues, with Sullivan saying they have not reached any new agreement on the South China Sea and have had “vigorous exchanges” on economic security and trade issues.

Read also: US, China set to conclude talks on Taiwan

“We did not discuss the American elections,” he added.

Progress has been made on the military front, however. Sullivan met with Xi Jinping’s top military adviser, and the two sides agreed that leaders of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would soon hold phone calls with their counterparts at China’s Southern Theater Command, which covers its southern seas.

U.S. military officials have long sought deeper engagement at the operational level amid regional conflicts and increased deployments in East Asia.

A senior U.S. official said disputes with China over shoals it disputes with the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally, in the South China Sea were likely to be managed rather than resolved “for the foreseeable future.”

“If it's not this bench, it will be another bench,” the official said.

Before meeting Xi, Sullivan held a rare discussion with a general considered by diplomats to be the president’s top military adviser, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He also held in-depth discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, attends a meeting with White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the Bayi Building in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS

With Zhang, Sullivan pushed for improved operational-level communications between the two countries' militaries in what was the first meeting between Zhang and a Biden administration official.

“Your request to meet with me demonstrates the importance the U.S. government places on military security and our military-to-military relations,” Zhang said in greeting Sullivan.

Sullivan told Zhang that both countries had a responsibility to prevent competition from escalating into conflict or confrontation.

“Given the state of the world and the need for us to responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship, I think this is a very important meeting,” he said.

The White House said Sullivan raised concerns about China's support for Russia's defense industrial base, as well as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Zhang is considered close to Xi Jinping and has survived unrest in the ranks of the Chinese military. Western and Asian diplomats say he is more powerful than the defense minister, who meets more frequently with foreign officials.

“Constructive discussions”

During their meeting Wednesday, Wang and Sullivan discussed the prospect of upcoming talks between Biden and Xi and shared contrasting views on conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, China's territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea, and trade.

“The key to the sound development of China-U.S. interactions lies in treating each other as equals,” Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The White House said the two men had “frank, substantive and constructive discussions.”

In the final months of his presidency, ahead of the November 5 presidential election, Biden has favored direct diplomacy to influence Xi Jinping and defuse tensions. US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, would likely adopt a similar strategy.

However, many analysts close to former President and current Republican candidate Donald Trump see this approach as too soft in the face of China's increasingly assertive foreign policy.