US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Chinese foreign policy official Wang Yi in Vienna today that Washington was “seeking to move beyond” the tensions caused by the Chinese balloon affair.
The meeting was not announced by Washington or Beijing in advance. The White House described the extensive discussions, in which the two leaders spent more than eight hours together, as “candid” and “constructive”.
A US government official, quoted by the Associated Press, informed journalists, on condition of anonymity, that both sides recognize that the incident of the alleged Chinese spy balloon, shot down in the US last February, was “unfortunate” and who are now looking to “re-establish normal channels of communication”.
The meeting is the latest in a series of small signs that tensions may be easing between the world’s two largest economies.
As the political and military rivalry between China and the US intensifies, analysts worry that the lack of lines of communication could turn a minor confrontation into larger hostilities.
As an example, they point to the importance of the ability of the US to communicate with the former Soviet Union to avoid a nuclear war.
The White House said in a statement that the meeting was part of “ongoing efforts to keep lines of communication open and manage competition responsibly,” and that Sullivan and Wang discussed key issues in the US-China relationship, including the Russian invasion. of Ukraine or the question of Taiwan.
The meeting took place at a luxury hotel along Vienna’s historic Ringstrasse, according to an Austrian official familiar with the matter. The official revealed that the planning of the meeting was done in secret and that the Austrian authorities were given only a few days’ notice that Vienna was chosen as the location for the negotiations.
Chinese officials called the discussions “substantive” and said both sides would “continue to make good use of strategic communication channels,” according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Sullivan cited White House concerns about a lack of “constructive engagement” by Beijing to pressure Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, and urged China to do more to stop the export of illegal drugs to the US. , according to the government official.
Washington has, in particular, been pressing China to crack down on production of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl, the nation’s deadliest opioid.
Sullivan also referred to the cases of three US citizens imprisoned in China – Mark Swidan, Kai Li and David Lin.
Tensions between the countries rose last year after then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which prompted China, which claims the island as its province, to launch military exercises around the territory.
Tensions flared earlier this year after the US shot down a Chinese balloon allegedly used for spying purposes as it crossed over US territory.
Beijing also responded with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s scale military exercises in the US last month, which included a meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
But there are signs that the two sides are resuming diplomatic communications.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met in Bali, Indonesia, last November. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to travel to China in February, but the trip was postponed after the balloon incident.
The White House has expressed interest in rescheduling Blinken’s visit. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier this week that Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo could also visit Beijing at any time.
US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang also met in Beijing this week, and Biden’s special climate envoy John Kerry spoke by phone last month. with his counterpart, Xie Zhenhua.
During a virtual forum hosted by the Stimson Center earlier this month, Burns said that communication is improving.
“Yes, we’ve had cases where we wanted to have certain high-level conversations but it wasn’t possible,” Burns said. “But I have to say that over the last few weeks, over the last month or so, there has been consistent communication between me and senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he added.
