Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor at the White House, arrived in Beijing, China on the 27th and met with Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party and concurrently Minister of Foreign Affairs. Amid both sides expressing their willingness to communicate to implement the consensus reached at the U.S.-China summit in San Francisco, experts anticipate discussions on issues including Taiwan.
According to local media such as China's Xinhua News Agency and China Central Television (CCTV) on the 27th, Director Wang told Advisor Sullivan, "The bilateral relationship has experienced many twists and turns over the years," adding, "Under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Biden, we must realize a return to Indonesia's Bali (the U.S.-China summit in November 2022) and move toward San Francisco, USA (the U.S.-China summit in November 2023)."
Director Wang emphasized, "The China-U.S. relationship is important not only to the two countries but also to the entire world," and stated, "It is the joint responsibility of China and the United States to implement the agreements reached by each leader at the San Francisco summit, and this is also a key task of this strategic communication." Furthermore, he stressed, "We hope that both sides will engage in in-depth communication on this issue over the next two days so that, according to the vision of the San Francisco summit, the China-U.S. relationship can overcome confusion, remove obstacles, and achieve truly stable, healthy, and sustainable development."
Advisor Sullivan introduced, "This is my first visit to China since taking office as the White House National Security Advisor," and said, "President Biden is committed to responsibly managing U.S.-China relations, preventing competition from turning into conflict, and cooperating in areas of common interest." He added, "Through this strategic communication, the United States hopes to have beneficial dialogues with the Chinese side on a wide range of issues and to implement the agreements reached by the two heads of state."
Experts predict that with Sullivan's visit to China, both sides will focus their dialogue on practical and topical issues rather than long-term problems. The Taiwan issue was cited as a representative topic.
Lu Xiang, a U.S. studies expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the state-run Global Times (GT), "China is seeking a stable bilateral relationship with the United States at least for the second half of this year," explaining, "This is a shared common understanding between both sides."
Xin Qiang, Director of the Taiwan Research Center at Fudan University, pointed out, "China holds a firm position on the Taiwan issue and will not compromise," and noted, "From the U.S. strategic perspective, Taiwan's importance is determined according to diplomatic policy needs." Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, evaluated, "When the U.S. tries to pressure China, it will take a provocative stance on Taiwan, and when it judges that close relations with China are necessary, it will limit its actions," adding, "Taiwan may consider itself an important entity in international affairs, but from the U.S. strategic calculation, Taiwan's importance is relatively minor."
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