President Joe Biden and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping are set to have a conversation in the “coming weeks,” according to the White House. This announcement follows two days of talks between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in China.
In a readout released on August 28, the White House stated that both sides welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication and are planning for a leader-level call in the near future. However, it remains uncertain whether Sullivan and Wang discussed a possible in-person meeting later this year between Biden and Xi. The two leaders last met face-to-face at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco back in November 2023.
During their discussions, Sullivan and Wang also talked about holding a theater commander telephone call soon, as mentioned in the U.S. readout. While Sullivan reaffirmed America’s commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies, it seems unlikely that China will back down from its aggressive actions against Taiwan and the Philippines.
According to China’s readout, Wang expressed that the United States should stop arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful unification of the island. Additionally, he urged America not to support any infringement actions by the Philippines in the South China Sea.
China has been displaying increasingly aggressive behavior towards its democratic neighbors. Manila has recently protested against dangerous maneuvers by Chinese vessels during routine patrol or resupply missions. Similarly, Taiwan has faced military threats from Beijing as it seeks to bring the self-ruled island under its control.
The talks between Sullivan and Wang also covered other topics such as North Korea, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Middle East affairs, China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base, counternarcotics efforts, and artificial intelligence safety.
Dennis Wilder from Georgetown University believes that Sullivan’s success will be measured by his ability to arrange a meeting between Biden and Xi later this year. Wilder suggests that if an announcement is made regarding such a summit during sideline meetings at either G20 summit or APEC Forum scheduled for November 2024 would indicate progress.
Regardless of who becomes America’s next president after Biden leaves office; Sino-U.S competition is expected to continue according to Wilder.
During their discussions with Wang Yi on human rights issues; Jake Sullivan emphasized America’s long-standing commitment towards universal human rights while Senator Ted Cruz called on him secure release of Mark Swidan who is currently imprisoned by CCP since 2012 along with two other known U.S citizens Kai Li & David Lin who are arbitrarily detained.