Before meeting Xi, Sullivan had a unique meeting with a standard considered by officials to be the government’s important military director, Zhang Youxia, vice president of the Central Military Commission. He also had considerable debate with China’s top minister, Wang Yi, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
During what was the first conference between Zhang and a Biden administration standard, Sullivan advocated for improved working-level connections between the nations ‘ forces.
According to Sullivan, both nations had a duty to stop opposition from veering into fight or conflict.
” Given the state of the world and the need for us to properly maintain US-China relations, I think it’s a very important meeting”, he said.
Both mentioned the advancements made in military communications and arrangements for phone calls for theater-level commanders, which the US has pushed for as a result of more local deployments.
Sullivan, according to the White House, also raised concerns about China’s aid for Russia’s defense-industrial base, stressed the need for balance across the Taiwan Strait, and free navigation in the contested South China Sea, a crucial trade channel.
Zhang is regarded as near to Xi and has survived conflict in the defense divisions of China. Diplomats from the West and Asia claim that he has more power than the defense minister, who regularly meets with foreign officials.
“CONSTRUCTIVE Debate”
Wang and Sullivan discussed the possibility of Biden and Xi starting new discussions on business, the Middle East and Ukraine, and Chinese regional statements from Taiwan to the South China Sea at the conference on Wednesday.
” The key to the soft growth of China-US contact lies in treating each other as equal”, Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The White House said the two held” truthful, meaningful, and creative conversations”.
In the months leading up to the Nov. 5 election, Biden has pushed clear diplomacy to impose himself on Xi and stifle tensions. US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, had perhaps do a similar approach.
However, some analysts who previously supported Donald Trump, the existing Republican nominee, and former president have criticized that approach for being too soft in light of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy.