WASHINGTON, Aug 23 (Reuters) – White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to China next week for talks with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, a visit aimed at keeping U.S.-China tensions in check with the November U.S. election fast approaching.
Sullivan has held regular talks with Wang with an eye to managing competition between the superpowers, and they last met in January in Bangkok.
This will be the first visit to China by a U.S. national security adviser since one by Susan Rice under former President Barrack Obama before the 2016 U.S. election.
Asked about such a meeting, the senior administration official said both the U.S. and China saw value in leader-level engagement.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said he had no specific information on this but called U.S.-China “the most important bilateral relationship in the world right now.”
“We’re going to keep trying to manage this relationship in a way that’s consistent with our national security priorities,” he told a regular briefing.
TOUCH POINTS The senior official said Sullivan’s visit should not be associated too closely with the election.
China says it is cracking down on fentanyl and precursor chemicals and that the U.S. crisis is a problem of demand, not supply.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (Reuters) – White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will visit China the following week to hold discussions with Wang Yi, the top Chinese diplomat, in an effort to maintain U.S. S. -China relations are managed by the November U. s. Election day is drawing near.
In August. Sullivan is scheduled to speak on a variety of topics from Taiwan to bilateral military discussions and the U.S. s. the Middle East, North Korea, the South China Sea, Myanmar, and the fentanyl crisis, in addition to China’s backing of Russia’s defense sector, a senior U. s. an administration official informed reporters.
In an effort to control rivalry between the superpowers, Sullivan and Wang have been having frequent discussions. Their most recent meeting took place in Bangkok in January. This will be the U.S. delegation’s first visit to China. s. national security advisor since Susan Rice served as such under former President Barrack Obama prior to the 2016 U.S. s. election.
Prior to the Nov. Five U. S. presidential contest between incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, a vice president, in which the U.S. s. One important foreign policy issue is competition with China.
The US. S. and China have worked over the past year to mend tense relations, which reached an all-time low following the U. S. destroyed a possible Chinese surveillance balloon the previous year.
Sullivan and Wang are anticipated to prepare the way for a possible meeting between U.S. S. later this year, as a follow-up to their November summit in California, President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
When asked about such a meeting, the senior official in the administration stated that both the U. S. and China thought leader-level participation was valuable.
“We search for opportunities to continue that through the end of the year,” the official stated. “I would expect that to continue.”.
Speaking for the White House on national security matters, John Kirby said he was unable to provide specific information but called U. S. -China “Currently the most significant bilateral relationship in the world. ****.
“Our goal is to maintain this relationship in a manner that aligns with our national security objectives,” he stated during a routine briefing.
Washington announced soon after the trip that it was imposing sanctions on over 400 entities and individuals—including Chinese companies—for their support of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. S. authorities think are assisting Moscow in strengthening its armed forces and evading Western sanctions.
TOUCH POINTS.
It is not appropriate to draw too much parallels between Sullivan’s visit and the election, according to the senior official. That is not the main idea. Approximately once every quarter, we have endeavored to complete these Wang Yi-Jake Sullivan points. ****.
“This meeting will be focused on the topics and issues that we are dealing with, but (the election) is always in the background in any engagement we have with foreign officials concerned about what comes next or what the transition will be like,” the official stated.
“In terms of simply managing the relationship, there’s a lot we can accomplish before the year ends. It seems to be the main focus. “.”.
The official said that in addition to pushing for the start of theater-level military-to-military talks with China, Sullivan was also expected to raise U.S. s. the “increased military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan” by China is causing concern. “.”.
In the Middle East, where the two sides have different approaches but some common concerns about instability, he would also be interested in hearing China’s assessment of the situation.
More than anything, the official stated, “It really is about clearing up misconceptions and preventing this competition from veering into conflict.”.
“There is no stopping the war on fentanyl and illegal precursor chemicals. a trade that is always changing, so there are always things we need to advance,” the official continued.
Washington critics contend that Beijing is not receiving enough pressure from the Biden administration regarding fentanyl-related substances, which are the primary cause of U.S. S. Overdosing on drugs.
China claims to be taking strong action against fentanyl and precursor chemicals, and that the U.S. S. Supply is not the issue with a crisis; demand is.
U. s. In April, Wang and Xi were met in Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. While there was some attempt to defuse tensions by highlighting cultural and educational exchanges, there was little progress made on contentious issues during that visit.
When Blinken met Wang in Laos in July, he reaffirmed Washington’s concerns about Beijing’s policies toward Taiwan and its backing for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Editing by Christina Fincher, David Holmes, Marguerita Choy, Jonathan Oatis, and Daniel Wallis; additional reporting by Michael Martina in Washington and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru.
