White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with China’s Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi on Monday, as Washington looks to “manage competition” between the US and China.
“Mr. Sullivan underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries,” the White House said in a statement.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The pair met in Luxembourg after a phone call in May that was a “productive discussion of a number of regional and global security issues,” the White House said.
A senior Biden administration official said the four-and-a-half-hour meeting was “productive.”
Discussions focused on reducing risks and “managing the relationship in a healthy, responsible way.”
The two sides were sides put on the table their thinking on a range of issues, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Taiwan and North Korea’s malign activity.
“We really feel that the US… has advanced a number of our key priorities. It’s very important to be clear with China what these intentions are, what the focus of these actions are and are not,” the official told reporters in a call.
Sullivan voiced concern over China’s decision, alongside Russia, to veto a resolution condemning North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launches. But, he noted that Washington and Beijing should be able to work together on the issue of North Korea, according to the official.
He also told the Chinese official of the need to release wrongfully detained American citizens, the administration official said.
Asked about a potential meeting between US President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping, the official said they “expect to see additional meetings in the months ahead,” but did not confirm any scheduled meeting.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Chinese counterpart last week on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
Read more: US, China defense ministers to focus on ‘managing competition’ at meeting
