The purpose of the current visit by Biden’s top aide to China is to maintain open lines of communication, as stated by the White House. President Joe Biden and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping are scheduled to speak in the “coming weeks” following discussions between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Both sides have expressed willingness to continue communication and are planning for a leader-level call soon. It is unclear if there have been discussions about a potential in-person meeting later this year between Biden and Xi, as their last meeting was at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco last year. The two also discussed the possibility of a theater commander telephone call in the near future.
Despite Sullivan reaffirming the U.S.’s commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies, the Chinese regime seems unwilling to back down from its aggressive actions against Taiwan and the Philippines. Wang stated that the United States should cease arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful unification of the island, while also criticizing U.S. support for the Philippines’s actions in the South China Sea.
The discussion between Sullivan and Wang also touched on various other topics such as North Korea, Myanmar, the Middle East, China’s support for Russia’s defense industry, counternarcotics, and artificial intelligence safety and risks.
The success of Sullivan’s trip will be measured by his ability to arrange a meeting between Biden and Xi later this year. President Biden is keen on another meeting with President Xi before leaving office, and potential opportunities for this include the G20 summit in South America. Regardless of the next U.S. president, the competition between the U.S. and China is expected to continue.
During the talks with Wang, Sullivan emphasized the U.S.’s commitment to universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. Senator Ted Cruz has urged Sullivan to secure the release of U.S. citizen Mark Swidan, who has been detained in China since 2012. Sullivan’s discussions with Chinese officials regarding human rights issues are ongoing, with efforts being made to address the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens in China. The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) issued a statement expressing concerns about the ongoing human rights issues in China’s Xinjiang region. The OHCHR spokesperson emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into allegations of human rights violations, including torture, and called for the release of individuals arbitrarily detained. This statement follows a report from two years ago that suggested Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang could constitute “crimes against humanity.”
Both the Biden and Trump administrations have classified the Chinese Communist Party’s policies in Xinjiang as genocide. The OHCHR continues to monitor the situation closely.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Source link
