dpa
Washington
US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan held “candid, substantive, and constructive discussions” with Chinese officials during his trip this week to Beijing, the White House said on Wednesday.
Sullivan was the first US national security adviser to visit China in eight years, a period in which relations between Washington and Beijing have been strained by trade and security concerns. “Sullivan underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” a White House statement said, referring to military tensions that have stoked fears of a conflict between China and Taiwan.
The self-governing island republic is regarded by China as part of its territory and is supported, to Beijing’s indignation, by the United States.
In his meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other officials, Sullivan also addressed his concerns about China’s support for the Russian defence industry and its impact on European and trans-Atlantic security.
He made it clear the US was determined to defend its allies in the Indo-Pacific region - and pointed out that the US was concerned about China’s “destabilising actions” in the South China Sea, the White House said. Sullivan and Wang pledged to continue high-level diplomacy and working-level consultations, the statement added. The two had already met several times in recent months, but not on Chinese soil.
A personal meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November did revive communication between the two sides.
