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White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta, the latest effort to stabilize U.S.-China relations ahead of a possible meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in November.
The White House said Sullivan and Wang met on Saturday and Sunday. The previously unannounced meeting comes four months after the two men met secretly in Vienna to revive high-level diplomacy stalled after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the United States after it flew over North America.
“The meeting was part of ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication and manage relations responsibly,” the White House said. “The two sides discussed key issues including the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and cross-Strait issues. problem.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Wang Yi and Sullivan had “candid, substantive and constructive” talks aimed at stabilizing and improving relations.
The talks come as U.S. and Chinese officials discuss a possible meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping if the Chinese leader attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco in November. In November last year, the two heads of state held their only face-to-face meeting at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali, Indonesia.
After Xi Jinping skipped the recent G20 summit in India, experts are watching closely for signs that he will decide not to attend APEC. Xi Jinping attended the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in South Africa last month but unexpectedly did not deliver a planned speech at the forum, sparking speculation of a possible domestic crisis.
The Malta meeting comes at a time of turmoil at the top levels of the Chinese government. Wang Yi served as both China’s top foreign policy official and foreign minister after Qin Gang was removed from his post as foreign minister in July without any explanation.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu also disappeared from public view. U.S. officials told the Financial Times this week that Lee was under investigation for corruption and had been removed from office.
China has not explained the reasons for Qin’s expulsion or the disappearance of Li Keqiang, both of whom were appointed by Xi Jinping. This summer, Xi Jinping, who also chairs the Central Military Commission, fired two generals from the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, China’s elite overseas command for nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
Wang is expected to travel to Washington next month in what will be the highest-level visit by a Chinese official to the U.S. capital since before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020.
Sullivan’s meeting with Wang also comes at a critical moment for China-U.S. relations, which remain tense despite several visits to Beijing by U.S. cabinet officials in recent months. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited China last month, following Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The White House said Sullivan and Wang had “candid, substantive and constructive discussions” and agreed to continue “strategic lines of communication and engage in additional high-level contacts and engagements in key areas between the United States and the People’s Republic of China” Consultation”. China in the coming months.”
Sullivan also noted “the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” as the situation in Taiwan remains the most serious contentious issue between the two countries, the White House said. China has engaged in increasingly assertive military activity around Taiwan, which is due to hold a presidential election in January.
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