Malta was the scene this weekend of a meeting between Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and Wang Yi, the head of Chinese diplomacy.
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Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with the head of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi, on Saturday and Sunday in Malta, in a context which nevertheless remains tense between the two great powers. “ The two sides held frank, substantive and constructive discussions “, the White House said in a statement. The meeting was also confirmed by Maltese authorities.
A senior US executive official, who requested anonymity, said the meeting lasted a total of 12 hours over two days. She also recalled that the last meeting of this type, and at this level, dates back to last May. It was around the same time, in the spring, that the American president predicted a “ thaw » of the Sino-American relationship, which deteriorated in February following the flight over the United States by a Chinese balloon.
During his exchange with the Chinese minister, Jake Sullivan “ stressed that the United States and China are engaged in competition, but the United States does not seek conflict or confrontation », she added during an exchange with the press.
“ Wang Yi stressed that the Taiwan issue is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations », assured Beijing for its part. The White House National Security Advisor, according to the American official, reiterated that the United States “does not did not support » the independence of the island. On the other hand, the Americans do not want to “ unilateral change to the status quo », whether from the Taiwanese or the Chinese. As a reminder, China claims the island as an integral part of its territory
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Military dialogue renewed?
In this discussion in Malta, China and the United States also “ committed to carrying out consultations ” in some areas. Particularly regarding “ political and security developments in the Asia-Pacific », According to the White House source. Communications between military officials from the two countries, which Beijing had cut off in August 2022 following a visit to Taiwan by the Speaker of the American House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, have not however resumed. The Americans, however, weak and limited indications ”, showing that the Chinese “ might be interested » to a possible reestablishment of this type of contact, indicated the senior official.
The United States and China have renewed dialogue in recent months with a succession of visits by senior American officials to Beijing, including the head of diplomacy Antony Blinken, and other high-level meetings are under discussion, according to the same American source. She did not, however, comment on speculation about a tête-à-tête between Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the next Apec (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, in mid -November in San Francisco (California).
In February, tensions between China and the United States rose a notch with the flight over American territory by Chinese balloons, a espionage operation according to Washington. Bilateral relations still remain tense, with trade disputes, Chinese expansion in the South China Sea and the issue of the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan remaining stumbling blocks.
Beijing does not view very favorably the very active diplomacy of the United States in Asia, illustrated by a recent strengthening of the American-Vietnamese relationship for example. Nor Joe Biden’s repeated comments on the economic and demographic weaknesses of the Asian giant.
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(With AFP)