US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan is embarking on several days of talks with top Chinese officials in Beijing this week aimed at quieting tensions between the two superpowers ahead of the Nov 5 US election.
Sullivan, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi and others meet for the Aug 27 to Aug 29 talks as the two countries are at odds over the Middle East and Ukraine, Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea, and trade.
Biden, who is in the final months of his presidency, has pushed direct diplomacy to influence Chinese President Xi Jinping and keep those tensions at bay; US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in November’s election, would likely pursue a similar strategy.
However many analysts aligned with Republican former President Donald Trump see that approach too soft given China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy.
Sullivan wants to expand military-to-military talks down to the theatre command level, a step that Washington hopes could prevent conflict in specific areas like the Taiwan strait.
The US also wants China to take more action at home to prevent the development of chemicals that can be made into fentanyl, the leading cause of US drug overdoses, and reach an understanding of safety standards for artificial intelligence.
Beijing plans to express its disapproval over US tariffs on a range of manufactured goods and export controls targeting Chinese chip makers and talk about its claims of sovereignty over the democratically ruled island of Taiwan.
“China will focus on expressing serious concerns, clarifying its solemn position and making serious demands on the Taiwan issue, the right to development and China’s strategic security,” the Chinese foreign affairs ministry said.
“The US has continuously taken unreasonable measures against China in terms of tariffs, export controls, investment reviews and unilateral sanctions, which have seriously undermined China’s legitimate rights and interests.”
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