Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the CPC Central Navy Fee, second from proper, meets with White Home nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan, second from left, throughout a gathering on the Bayi Constructing in Beijing, Aug. 29, 2024 | Picture credit score: AP
US nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan met with a senior Chinese language army official on Thursday (Aug 29, 2024) as the 2 international locations strengthen communication in an effort to forestall variations over the South China Sea and Taiwan from escalating into battle.
The assembly got here a day after the White Home mentioned the 2 international locations would plan a cellphone name between Chinese language President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden within the coming weeks.
Mr. Sullivan was concluding a three-day journey to China, his first as nationwide safety adviser and geared toward stabilizing bilateral relations to keep away from battle.
His essential talks had been held over the previous day and a half with Wang Yi, the overseas minister and the ruling Communist Celebration’s high overseas coverage official.
Thursday’s assembly was with Gen. Zhang Youxia, one in all two vice chairmen of the Central Navy Fee, a corporation Xi personally heads. It was a uncommon assembly with a U.S. official, coming at a time when either side are keen to maintain relations balanced forward of a change within the U.S. presidency in January.
“Your request to satisfy with me demonstrates the worth you place on army safety and the connection between our militaries,” Zhang informed Sullivan in his opening remarks.
A White Home assertion after the talks mentioned the 2 had “acknowledged progress in sustained and common army communications over the previous ten months” and highlighted the settlement introduced Wednesday to carry a theater-level cellphone name between commanders within the close to future.
China suspended communication between the 2 militaries and in another fields after a high U.S. lawmaker, then-Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in August 2022. Talks solely step by step resumed greater than a 12 months later, after Xi and Biden met outdoors San Francisco in November.
A theater-level name will probably be held between Adm. Samuel Paparo, who heads the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, and his Chinese language counterpart, mentioned Danny Russel, vice chairman of the Asia Society Coverage Institute in New York.
“This dialogue on the theater command degree is essential to disaster prevention, however it’s one thing the Chinese language army has resisted,” Russel mentioned.
A White Home assertion following the conclusion of talks with Wang on Wednesday mentioned the 2 sides would maintain traces of communication open, together with planning a “leader-level name” within the coming weeks. The Chinese language International Ministry mentioned Wang and Sullivan mentioned “a brand new spherical of interactions between the heads of state of the 2 international locations to happen within the close to future.”
There was no indication whether or not the 2 leaders would possibly meet in particular person earlier than Biden leaves the Oval Workplace.
