White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi were together this weekend in the European archipelago of Malta, in a meeting without prior notice from both parties that lasted around 12 hours.
This is another stage in the negotiations between the two countries competing in the so-called Cold War 2.0 of resuming the military dialogue closed by Beijing more than a year ago after the controversial visit by Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat who then presided over the US House, to Taiwan, an island considered a rebellious province by the Chinese.
In a statement, Joe Biden’s government said the meeting was an effort to “maintain open lines of communication and manage the relationship in a healthy way.” The note also says that the discussions were “frank, substantive and constructive” and that they come in the wake of the meeting between Biden and Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, in Indonesia, in November.
According to Washington, the War in Ukraine — in which the United States is Kiev’s main ally and China maintains ties with Moscow, despite claiming to be neutral in the conflict —, peace in the Taiwan Strait and areas of bilateral relationship.
Speaking to American press outlets, such as the Reuters agency and The New York Times, a senior government official, whose name was not identified, said that the US assesses that there has been “shy progress” in China’s willingness to resume dialogue in the area. military.
According to the same source, Jake Sullivan would have emphasized that Beijing should not try to help Moscow in the war in Eastern Europe. The statement comes against the backdrop of statements by members of the Biden government, rejected by China, that Xi’s regime is considering sending weapons to Vladimir Putin’s government.
This weekend’s meeting is part of Biden’s ongoing effort for senior figures in his administration to rebuild a minimum dialogue with the Chinese regime after a series of episodes that ruined the relationship. After Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan, the case of Chinese balloons was a new blow to the water.
In the episode, the US detected a series of Chinese high-altitude balloons flying over its territory and shot them down, accusing Beijing of espionage. The regime responded that they were mere objects for research that had been diverted from course due to a technical failure.
Sullivan and Wang Yi’s meeting takes place on the eve of the UN General Assembly in New York, which will be attended by Biden, the second to speak this Tuesday (19), after Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT ). China will be represented by Xi’s deputy, Han Zheng.
