White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan is set to travel to China next week for discussions on various security issues. According to a senior administration official, Sullivan will meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party politburo. The trip, scheduled from August 27 to 29, marks the first visit by a national security adviser to mainland China since 2016 and is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to prevent relations with China from escalating into open conflict.
During the visit, Sullivan plans to raise concerns about China’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base, its actions in the South China Sea, and other related issues. The purpose of this strategic level of communication is to delve into details regarding strategic intent and policy perspectives on different situations.
The planning for this trip began last November during a meeting between President Joe Biden and CCP leader Xi Jinping in Woodside, California. Sullivan and Wang are expected to focus on key areas discussed during that meeting such as fentanyl precursors flowing from China into the Americas, military-to-military communications, and Chinese communist aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Biden administration also hopes that meaningful dialogue between Beijing and Taipei can be achieved as they seek to prevent an outright conquest of Taiwan by China. The CCP’s military incursions around Taiwan have been described as destabilizing by US officials who believe these maneuvers risk escalation in the region.
While this will be their fifth meeting since May 2023, US officials remain clear-eyed about the threat posed by China. They expect this stance towards China will continue for the foreseeable future. The primary goal of Sullivan’s visit is therefore aimed at preventing further deterioration in US-China relations.
Discussions between Sullivan and Wang have typically lasted around 10-12 hours each time they meet. This upcoming meeting will likely follow suit as they discuss bilateral issues extensively. It should be noted that these talks do not indicate a change in approach towards China; rather, they reflect an intensely competitive relationship that both sides are committed to managing responsibly.
In addition to bilateral matters, discussions are expected to cover international security issues concerning Burma (Myanmar), North Korea (DPRK), Iran, Russia along with CCP aggression in both South China Sea and Taiwan Strait regions.