U.S. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is embarking on several days of talks with top Chinese officials in Beijing this week aimed at quieting tensions between the two superpowers ahead of the November 5 U.S. election.
Sullivan, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, and other officials are meeting from August 27-29 amid ongoing disagreements between the two countries. The issues include conflicts over the Middle East and Ukraine, China’s territorial claims ranging from Taiwan to the South China Sea, and trade disputes.
Biden, who is in the final months of his presidency, has pushed direct diplomacy to influence Chinese President Xi Jinping and keep those tensions at bay; U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in November’s election, would likely pursue a similar strategy.
However, many analysts who align with former President Donald Trump believe that approach is too lenient, given China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy.
Plans for Discussion
Sullivan, who landed in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, wants to expand military-to-military talks down to the theatre command level, a step that Washington hopes could prevent conflict in specific areas like the Taiwan strait.
The U.S. also wants China to take more action at home to prevent the development of chemicals that can be made into fentanyl, the leading cause of U.S. drug overdoses, and reach an understanding about safety standards for artificial intelligence.
Beijing plans to express its disapproval over U.S. tariffs on a range of manufactured goods and export controls targeting Chinese chip makers, and talk about its claims of sovereignty over the democratically ruled island of Taiwan.
“China will focus on expressing serious concerns, clarifying its solemn position and making serious demands on the Taiwan issue, the right to development and China’s strategic security,” the Chinese foreign affairs ministry said.
“The U.S. has continuously taken unreasonable measures against China in terms of tariffs, export controls, investment reviews and unilateral sanctions, which have seriously undermined China’s legitimate rights and interests.”
Both sides are also warily watching the prospect that the Gaza war could spiral into a broader regional conflict.
Sullivan’s trip is the first by a U.S. national security adviser since 2016. He has held regular talks with Wang with an eye to managing competition between the superpowers, and they last met in January in Bangkok.
In Beijing, the two officials could also set the path towards a final meeting between Biden and Xi. Peru hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum summit and Brazil hosts the Group of 20 summit, both in November, where the two could meet.
Harris Vs. Trump?
When Harris accepted the Democratic nomination last week she said she would ensure that “America – not China – wins the competition for the 21st Century.” As vice president, she has spent significant time travelling to and bolstering U.S. relationships with China’s neighbours, including Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.
Trump has vowed across-the-board tariffs, with special emphasis on goods from China. His allies have pledged support to China’s neighbours, including Japan and South Korea, under a new Republican administration.
U.S. intelligence suggests that China has no preference in the upcoming election contest, according to people familiar with the matter.
The U.S. and China have sought to stabilize rocky ties since they sank to a historic low after the U.S. downed a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon last year.
Biden and Xi agreed at a summit in November last year to have their teams speak on military matters, artificial intelligence and curbing illicit fentanyl production.
Yet issues persist. Self-ruled Taiwan faces ramped up pressure from China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The United States is Taiwan’s most important backer and arms supplier.
The U.S.-allied Philippines and China clashed again in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Sunday in the latest in a series of sea and air confrontations in the strategic waterway.
On trade, Biden has added tariffs on Chinese goods deemed a threat to U.S. manufacturing and national security, and just last week his administration added 105 Russian and Chinese firms to a trade restriction list over their alleged support of the Russian military, a move China condemned.
China has vowed retaliation and Foreign Minister Wang has said they showed that some in the U.S. may be “losing their minds.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
