US Sullivan and China’s Wang Yi Hold Sudden Meeting... "Discuss Ukraine and Taiwan Issues"

Amid escalating tensions between the US and China following the reconnaissance balloon controversy last February, key figures from the diplomatic and security lines of both countries met in a third country.

The US White House announced on the 11th (local time) through a press release that Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, and Wang Yi, member of the Chinese Communist Party Central Political Bureau (Director of the Party Central Foreign Affairs Office), met in Vienna, Austria. The meeting took place over two days, from the 10th to the 11th.

Jake Sullivan, U.S. White House National Security Advisor [Photo by Yonhap News]

The White House stated, "Both sides engaged in candid, substantive, and constructive dialogue on bilateral relations, the war in Ukraine, and the Taiwan issue."

It also added, "This meeting is part of ongoing efforts to maintain open communication channels and responsibly manage competition," and "both sides agreed to maintain strategic communication channels for this purpose."

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency described the talks as "candid, in-depth, substantive, and constructive discussions aimed at removing obstacles in China-US relations, halting the decline of the relationship, and stabilizing it." It further explained, "Wang Yi fully conveyed China's firm stance on the Taiwan issue and exchanged views on the Asia-Pacific situation, Ukraine, and other international and regional matters," adding, "both sides agreed to continue to effectively use this strategic communication channel."

This meeting marks the first diplomatic and security advisor-level meeting in over three months since the indefinite postponement of US Secretary of State Tony Blinken's visit to China, originally scheduled for February. Previously, Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan had a private phone call on March 24 ahead of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's transit through the US. However, this is the first separate bilateral meeting between the two since Wang Yi assumed the role of Director of the Party Central Foreign Affairs Office, the top position in China's diplomatic line.

Meanwhile, in 2021, a meeting between former Director Yang Jiechi of the Foreign Affairs Office and Advisor Sullivan led to an agreement for a video summit between the leaders of the two countries. Therefore, this meeting is also closely watched as another opportunity for communication between the US and China.