Three months after the destruction of a Chinese surveillance balloon over the United States, dialogue resumes between Beijing and Washington. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Vienna on Wednesday May 10 and Thursday May 11 to discuss Ukraine and Taiwan in particular.
With our correspondent in Beijing, Stephane Lagarde
In diplomatic parlance, this is called keeping the lines of communication open. And this surprise tete-a-tete, on neutral ground, between the American national security adviser and the director of the Chinese Communist Party’s central foreign affairs office is indeed a sign that the channels of communication (re)function between the States. United and the China.
And if we are not yet talking about warming between the first two powers, it looks like it. This is the first meeting of this level since last June. The discussions were frank, substantial and constructive “, note New China agency.
In two days, Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan had time to talk about the hot topics: Ukraine, Taiwan, Asia-Pacific. ” Global and regional security issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine and cross-Strait issues (from Taiwan, editor’s note), among other topics were discussed “, continues the White House in a press release.
“Restore ordinary communication channels”
A resumption of dialogue which is part of a long diplomatic journey between the two powers in recent weeks. The chancelleries had to take out the oars to try to close the wounds of the surveillance balloon destroyed in the American sky. ” This unfortunate incident led to some pause in contacts, added a senior White House official, indicating that Washington was looking to “ restore ordinary communication channels “.
And it is visibly better: on Twitter on Wednesday, the United States Ambassador to Beijing, Nicholas Burns said to himself ” delighted to have been able to meet Wang Wentao, the Chinese Minister of Commerce. US climate envoy John Kerry told him last week that the Chinese authorities had invited him to Soon ” in China. And Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, said he hoped to be able to make a visit to China, postponed because of the balloon affair, by the end of this year.