The United States is working with China to ensure that the competition between the two countries does not escalate into conflict, a White House official said on August 27, as both sides began discussions on their strained relationship during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, will hold two days of meetings with Wang Yi, the senior foreign policy official for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on the outskirts of Beijing.
“President Biden has been very clear in his conversations with President Xi that he is committed to managing this important relationship,” Sullivan told the media before the meetings.
The goal of his visit is to maintain communication on the bilateral relationship, which deteriorated in 2022-23 and has only slightly improved in recent months.
No major announcements are expected from these meetings, but Sullivan’s discussions may pave the way for a final summit between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and American President Joe Biden before the American president’s term ends in January.
Wang, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party, said that US-China relations have experienced ups and downs in recent years.
“The key is to maintain mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and cooperation that benefits both sides,” he said.
The Biden administration has taken a tough stance on China, viewing it as a strategic competitor, restricting its companies’ access to advanced technology, and opposing its rising power, particularly with regard to Taiwan and the South China Sea.
The already strained relationship worsened further after then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. Hopes for improving relations faded after a Chinese spy balloon flew over the US in February, before being shot down by the American military.
Sullivan has been Biden’s designated representative who has held several unannounced conversations with Wang, who is also China’s Foreign Minister.
During a meeting in May of the previous year between Sullivan and Wang, the two countries began a delicate process to improve relations. Since then, the two officials have met twice more, in Malta and Thailand.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs this week stated that relations with the US are “at a critical juncture.” The ministry said that both sides are discussing climate and other issues, but accused the US of continuing to limit and suppress China. /REL/
