US, China agree to maintain communication as officials meet
White House adviser Jake Sullivan’s talks with top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi were designed to “control competition,” the US says.
Top officials from the United States and China have agreed to maintain communication during their meeting in the Austrian capital, the White House says.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi held “candid, substantive and constructive talks” in Vienna on Wednesday and Thursday, the White House said in a statement.
“The two sides agreed to maintain this important strategic communication channel to further these objectives,” it said.
The talks were held as both countries try to deal with rising tensions over a range of issues, including trade, the status of Taiwan, China’s claims in the South China Sea and continued US pressure against growing Chinese influence. in the Pacific Ocean.
Top US officials have said President Joe Biden’s administration is continuing the case competition with China, but does not want it to turn into a conflict. Beijing has said it wants to stabilize troubled relations with Washington.
The discussions between Sullivan and Wang followed a meeting between US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, and China’s second-highest diplomat, Qin Gang, also this week.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said he hopes to reschedule a trip to China that was postponed in February after an argument over an alleged Chinese spy balloon shot down over the US. China has denied that the balloon was used for surveillance.
The latest diplomatic buzz could also herald a possible meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, though the US president said Wednesday that no progress had been made on that front.
The two leaders met in November ahead of a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
On Thursday, the White House said Sullivan and Wang had discussed a range of topics, including “cross-Strait issues,” a reference to rising tensions over Taiwan, which China claims as part of its own territory.
Beijing has repeatedly reacted with anger to Washington’s support for Taiwan, deploying military resources that have fueled fears of a greater escalation.
Last month, a US warship sailed through the waters separating Taiwan and China after Beijing launched three days of military exercises around the self-governed island.
Sullivan and Wang also discussed “global and regional security issues,” as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration said.
The US has warned of growing ties between China and Russia, including Beijing’s potential to send direct aid to Moscow for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Beijing has denied favors to either side, but insists it wants to be a peace broker in the conflict.
Washington has made countering Beijing’s growing influence a top foreign policy priority and has sought to bolster support in the Pacific to counter what China calls growing commercial, political and military assertiveness.
China, for its part, has accused the US of pursuing a new Cold War.