The most recent meeting between a US national security advisor and their Chinese counterpart took place in 2016 when Susan Rice served in the Obama administration.
On Thursday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with a senior Chinese military official to address escalating tensions between China and U.S. treaty allies in the region.
“Both sides reaffirmed the significance of regular military-to-military communications as part of efforts to uphold high-level diplomacy and keep communication channels open,” the White House noted.
“It is not often that we have the opportunity for this kind of dialogue,” Sullivan remarked to Zhang at the beginning of the meeting. “Given the current global situation and the necessity for us to responsibly manage the U.S.-China relationship, I believe this meeting is extremely important.”
In his opening remarks, Zhang expressed his desire to have an open and honest discussion with Sullivan and exchange views on mutual concerns.
The discussion also touched on Gaza, concerns regarding China’s support for Russia’s defense industry, and the importance of preventing misunderstandings and escalations in cyberspace.
In relation to Taiwan, Sullivan emphasized the necessity of maintaining “peace and stability” across the Taiwan Strait.
“China’s ongoing intimidation and suppression of Taiwan, along with its blatant military expansion ambitions, pose the greatest risks to regional peace and stability,” the Taiwanese ministry declared.
“As a responsible member of the global community, Taiwan will continue to enhance its self-defense capabilities and collaborate with partners like the United States to uphold the rules-based international order, ensuring peace, stability, and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region.”
On Wednesday, the National Maritime Council of Manila advocated for a review of the country’s defense treaty with the United States due to the security challenges posed by China’s continued aggressive assertion of territorial claims in the South China Sea, despite them being rejected by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.
Lopez also emphasized the importance of “engaging traditional allies and new allies and rallying these like-minded nations” as part of the Philippines’ diplomatic response to China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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