Sullivan, Xi meet in Beijing, discuss US-China relations and global security

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, wrapping up three days of talks aimed at easing friction between the two world powers ahead of November's US election.

As the pair sat down in the Great Hall of the People, Xi told Sullivan Beijing was committed to a stable relationship with Washington.

"In this changing and turbulent world, countries need solidarity and coordination...not exclusion or regress," Xi said.

Sullivan told Xi that US President Joe Biden was committed to managing the relationship to avoid conflict and "looks forward to engaging with you in coming weeks".

The White House said after the meeting that the two sides were planning for a call between Xi and Biden soon.

Over what he later said were 14 hours of discussions, Sullivan covered a range of issues complicating ties. These included tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia, and US demands for more Chinese help to stem the flow of the ingredients for fentanyl, the leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.

But considerable gaps remain on some issues, with Sullivan saying they reached no new agreements on the South China Sea and had "vigorous give and take" on economic security and trade issues.

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"We didn't discuss the American election," he added.

More progress was made in military ties, however. Sullivan met Xi's leading military adviser and the two sides agreed that US Indo-Pacific command leaders would soon speak by phone to their counterparts in China's southern theatre command, which covers its southern seas.

US military officials have long been eager for deeper working-level engagement amid regional disputes and increased deployments across East Asia.

One senior US official said differences with China over the shoals it contests with the Philippines, a US treaty ally, in the South China Sea were likely to be only managed rather than solved "for the foreseeable future".

"If it's not this shoal, it's going to be another feature," the official said.

Before meeting Xi, Sullivan had a rare discussion with a general considered by diplomats to be the president's key military adviser, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He also had extensive discussions with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, attends a meeting with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan at the Bayi building in Beijing, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERS

With Zhang, Sullivan pushed for enhanced working-level communications between the countries' militaries during what was the first meeting between Zhang and a Biden administration official.

"Your request for having this meeting with me demonstrates the value the US government puts on military security and our military-to-military relationship," Zhang said as he greeted Sullivan.

Sullivan told Zhang that both countries had a responsibility to prevent competition from veering into conflict or confrontation.

"Given the state of the world and the need for us to responsibly manage US-China relations, I think it's a very important meeting," he said.

The White House said Sullivan raised concerns about China's support for Russia's defence industrial base, as well as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Zhang is believed to be close to Xi and has survived turmoil in China's military ranks. Western and Asian diplomats say he is more powerful than the defence minister, who more frequently meets foreign officials.

'Constructive discussions'

In Wednesday's meeting, Wang and Sullivan discussed the prospect of talks soon between Biden and Xi and shared contrasting perspectives on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea, and trade.

"The key to the smooth development of China-US interaction lies in treating each other as equals," Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The White House said the two held "candid, substantive, and constructive discussions".

In the final months of his presidency ahead of the Nov. 5 election, Biden has pushed direct diplomacy to influence Xi and keep tensions at bay. US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, would probably pursue a similar strategy.

However, many analysts aligned with former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump see that approach as too soft in the face of China's increasingly assertive foreign policy.