Before meeting Xi, Sullivan had a rare meeting with a general considered by diplomats to be the president’s key military adviser, Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. He also had extensive discussions with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
With Zhang, Sullivan pushed for enhanced working-level communications between the countries’ militaries during what was the first meeting between Zhang and a Biden administration official.
Sullivan said that both countries had a responsibility to prevent competition from veering into conflict or confrontation.
“Given the state of the world and the need for us to responsibly manage US-China relations, I think it’s a very important meeting,” he said.
Both referred to progress in military communications and arrangements for theatre-level commanders to speak soon by telephone, which the US has pushed for amid increased regional deployments.
The White House said Sullivan also emphasised the need for stability across the Taiwan Strait and freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea, a vital trade waterway, and raised concerns about China’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base.
Zhang is believed to be close to Xi and has survived turmoil in China’s military ranks. Western and Asian diplomats say he is more powerful than the defence minister, who more frequently meets foreign officials.
“CONSTRUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS”
In Wednesday’s meeting, Wang and Sullivan discussed the prospect of fresh talks soon between Biden and Xi and shared contrasting perspectives on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea and trade.
“The key to the smooth development of China-US interaction lies in treating each other as equals,” Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The White House said the two held “candid, substantive, and constructive discussions”.
In the final months of his presidency ahead of the Nov 5 election, Biden has pushed direct diplomacy to influence Xi and keep tensions at bay. US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, would probably pursue a similar strategy.
However, many analysts aligned with former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump see that approach as too soft in the face of China’s increasingly assertive foreign policy.
