Biden, Xi planning talks “in the coming weeks”: White House

The plan was discussed between Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi during their two-day meeting in Beijing. The White House said the two countries will also aim to organize a phone conversation between military theater commanders “in the near future.”

Sullivan and Wang confirmed that the two countries will build on their past agreements, such as keeping high-level communication channels open despite differences of opinion about a number of major issues and continuing to cooperate in areas including counternarcotics and climate change, according to the White House and the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Sullivan and Wang had similar lengthy talks before, but the U.S. top aide’s visit to China is his first since the inception of the Biden administration in 2021.

During the latest discussions with Wang, Sullivan, whose trip to China runs through Thursday, stressed that the United States will continue to take necessary steps to block China from using U.S. advanced technologies to undermine its national security, the White House said.

Among other issues, it said Sullivan voiced concerns over China’s help for Russia’s defense industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security, and reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies.

China, which has been deepening its ties with Russia, denies the allegation that it assists Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Wang said Washington “should not shift responsibility to China” over the Ukraine issue, nor should it impose “illegal, unilateral sanctions” on Russia, the Chinese ministry said.

On Taiwan, which Beijing views as part of its territory, Wang said the island will be reunified with the mainland, according to the Chinese ministry.

Noting the self-ruled democracy’s independence poses “the biggest risk to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he urged Washington to stop arming the island. Sullivan said the United States does not back Taiwan’s independence, according to the Chinese ministry.

As for escalating tensions in the South China Sea between Chinese and Philippine vessels, Wang said Washington “must not undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” based on a U.S.-Philippine mutual defense treaty, nor should it support or condone Manila’s “acts of infringement,” the ministry said.

Wang also urged the United States to “end its suppression of China” in the economic, trade and technology fields, and refrain from undermining China’s legitimate interests, it added. Sullivan raised continued concerns about Beijing’s unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices, the White House said.

The top diplomat countered U.S. complaints about China’s overcapacity for items such as electric vehicles and solar panels, saying Washington is pursuing protectionism and it will “only harm global green development and impede world economic growth,” the Chinese ministry said.

The two sides also exchanged views on shared concerns about the Middle East, North Korea and Myanmar, the White House and the Chinese ministry said.

Sullivan, on a three-day visit to the Chinese capital, is believed to be laying the groundwork for a possible final summit between Biden and Xi before the U.S. president steps down.

Biden abandoned his reelection bid in July and will leave office in January next year. He and Xi last held in-person talks in November near San Francisco.