Biden’s nationwide safety advisor secretly meets China’s international minister in bid to ease strained ties

President Joe Biden’s nationwide safety adviser, Jake Sullivan, secretly met in Europe this weekend with Chinese language Overseas Minister Wang Yi, based on two U.S. officers, a major step in U.S. efforts to restore deeply strained relations with China.

Sullivan and Wang Yi held discussions Saturday and Sunday in Malta as “a part of ongoing efforts to keep up open strains of communication and responsibly managing the connection,” one of many officers mentioned.

Their talks might lay the groundwork for a much-anticipated assembly between Biden and Chinese language President Xi Jinping this fall geared toward easing tensions between the world’s two largest economies within the wake of the surveillance balloon saga and China’s assist for Russia’s warfare in Ukraine.

Administration officers have been making ready for a attainable assembly in November across the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation, or APEC, summit in San Francisco.

A gathering between the 2 leaders would come at a vital second within the U.S.-China relations. There are a number of financial and safety points at stake, together with export controls, the warfare in Ukraine and considerations within the U.S. that China might transfer on Taiwan.

 The Biden administration has frightened {that a} lack of communication between the 2 international locations might result in an unintentional confrontation and has sought in current months to get relations again on monitor after they hit a brand new low in February when the Pentagon shot down the Chinese language spy balloon that flew over the U.S.

Biden and Xi haven’t spoken in practically a yr.

They final met in November final yr on the sidelines of a summit of world leaders in Bali, Indonesia. Regardless of Biden saying earlier this yr, after his administration shot down the spy balloon, that he anticipated to talk with Xi, a telephone name between the 2 leaders by no means materialized. At a fundraising occasion in June, Biden referred to Xi as a “dictator” — a time period certain to annoy Chinese language officers.

Biden mentioned he was “upset” that Xi didn’t attend a summit this month for the Group of 20 main world economies in India. When requested after the summit when he anticipated to satisfy once more with Xi, Biden mentioned “I hope I get to see Mr. Xi prior to later.”

Sullivan’s assembly follows a collection of high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese language officers in current months. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo visited China final month. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen traveled to Beijing in July.

Within the first go to to China by a U.S. Secretary of State since 2018, Antony Blinken met in June with Xi in Beijing, and he met in July with Wang Yi — a dialogue the administration additionally described on the time as “a part of ongoing efforts to keep up open channels of communication” between the 2 international locations.

State Division spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned final week that the administration expects Blinken and Wang Yi to satisfy someday this yr within the U.S., probably on the sidelines of the United Nations Basic Meeting in New York this week. 

Chinese language Vice President Han Zheng shall be attending the meeting, the Chinese language international ministry spokesperson Mao Ning mentioned in a information convention Friday, suggesting the nation’s prime diplomat, Wang, may skip the assembly.