U.S., China must manage ‘intense competition,’ top Biden advisor says
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Antony Blinken, US Secretary-of-State, is joined by Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor, (R), as he speaks in front of Yang Jiechi (2nd L), Director, Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office and Wang Yi (L), China’s Foreign Minister, at the opening session US/China talks held at Anchorage’s Captain Cook Hotel, Anchorage (Alaska), on March 18, 2021.
Frederic J. AFP | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said on Thursday his talks with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Switzerland on Wednesday avoided the acrimony of a meeting in March and that more were needed to avert conflict between the two countries.
Sullivan stated that the six-hour meeting took place at Zurich’s airport hotel. It was Yang’s first meeting since Alaska. This could have marked a more peaceful phase in the relationship between superpowers.
After meetings with NATO and the European Union, Sullivan said that the talks had been productive.
He said the meeting had been a way to “do our best to create a circumstance in which this competition (between the United States and China), which is an intense competition, can be managed responsibly, and does not veer into conflict or confrontation.”
Washington says China threatens a global order based on rules. Beijing claims the United States interferes in its affairs.
But the agreement between U.S. prosecutors and Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who was taken into custody in Canada in December 2018, allowing her to return to China, may have improved the mood.
Biden and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, have reached an agreement in principle to host a virtual meeting between their presidents before the end of this year.
My basic conclusion is this: Intense competition demands intense diplomacy. Sullivan said that more of this is needed than less.
He said that there had been “tough, direct exchanges” between Yang and Yang about the Taiwan Strait. However, he didn’t give any details.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to try and force the democratically ruled island to accept Chinese sovereignty.
Sullivan stated that Taiwan is a “vibrant economy and a democratic country” which he sees as a source of strength. He also said that Sullivan was keen to have a long-lasting relationship.
In a statement, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry stated that Sullivan’s comment had prompted them to say Taiwan would still contribute to peace and stability within the Taiwan Strait as well as the Indo-Pacific.
According to the ministry, Taiwan also will “continue strengthening its self defense capabilities and firmly maintaining Taiwan’s free democratic system”.
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