U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Chinese top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Luxembourg for four hours yesterday. The printout from both sides essentially stated their respective positions, but clearly there was more discussed. This follows by only a few days the meeting between U.S. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and China’s Defense Minister Wei Fenghe in Singapore.
According to the readouts and background briefings, Sullivan reiterated the Biden administration’s commitment to the “one China” policy while complaining about China’s “coercive and aggressive actions” across the Taiwan Strait and warning against China assisting Russia in its war in Ukraine. “The two shared their assessments of U.S.-China relations, including an exchange of views of how each side sees the dynamic between our two countries,” an official said, describing the meeting as “candid, in-depth, substantive, and productive.”
Sullivan also raised concerns about China’s recent veto of a U.S. resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would have imposed new sanctions on North Korea following recent missile launches. “Jake made very clear that this is an area where we believe the United States and China should be able to work together,” the official said.
The White House characterized Sullivan’s meeting with Yang as part of the administration’s broader effort to “responsibly” manage competition between the U.S. and China. “Mr. Sullivan underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries,” a White House readout said.
