United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with the top Chinese foreign policy official, Wang Yi, in Malta to negotiate various diplomatic issues.
The meeting between the two officials was announced by the White House on Sunday, which said that it was part of the efforts to keep communication open between Washington and Beijing.
US and Chinese Officials Meet in Malta
Sullivan and Wang met on Saturday and Sunday and the White House's summary of the talks said that the two officials spoke about the relations between their countries. The discussions also focused on Russia's war on Ukraine and the tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan.
During a telephone briefing on Sunday, a senior White House official said that Sullivan reiterated American concerns about recent Chinese military actions regarding Taiwan and other coercive activities. They added that any dispute or conflict between the countries must be resolved peacefully.
The official added that the national security adviser stressed that Moscow should not try to avoid Russia in its war on Ukraine. The main issue of the concerns pertains to the US intelligence assessment. Since the winter, China has considered sending weapons to Russian President Vladimir Putin to use in his war, per the New York Times.
On Sunday, the Chinese government issued a summary that said Wang stressed that the Taiwan issue was a "red line" for China. This language was consistent with the long-running view among Beijing's leaders.
Additionally, the summary said that officials talked about matters related to the Asia-Pacific region, the Korean Peninsula, and Ukraine. They also supposedly discussed measures for "personnel exchanges" between the two countries.
The White House's summary of the discussions noted that Sullivan and Wang agreed that the American and Chinese governments would "pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas."
According to The Guardian, a senior Biden administration official added that there have been some small or limited indications that China was ready to reopen some cross-military communications used to de-escalate conflict between the two nations.
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Open Lines of Communication
Those ties were initially cut following a visit to Taiwan by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022. The last meeting between Sullivan and Wang was in May, which was four months after Biden ordered fighter jets to shoot down a Chinese-operated balloon off the US coast
The White House said the US noted the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. It added that the two officials "committed to maintain the strategic channel of communication."
The Chinese version of the summary also noted that the two sides conducted "candid, substantive, and constructive strategic communication." The development comes as China has accused the US of weaponizing tech and trade issues under the guise of national security.
On the other hand, Washington warned Beijing against its continued military ambitions in Taiwan and the Pacific. Additionally, the US has forged security alliances in the Pacific to counter growing Chinese influence in the region, said Aljazeera.
