US President Joe Biden and China President Xi Jinping are planning to hold a ‘virtual bilateral meeting’ by the end of 2021, informed the White House. There is an ‘agreement in principle’ for the virtual bilateral meeting, as per media reports. The virtual bilateral meeting between Biden and Jinping was announced during the meeting of US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Zurich.
As per the media reports, the closed-door high-level meeting between Sullivan and Yang meant for improving the communication between the top two economies lasted for more than six hours. Both met for the first time after the unpleasant public grievances episode in Alaska in March 2021. The meeting was described as the follow-up to the September 9 call between US President Biden and Chinese President Jinping.
US National Security Adviser Sullivan, China's Yang meet for 1st time since Alaska
The meeting between the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi focused on improving the communication between both countries despite a growing strategic rivalry and tensions over several bilateral issues including Taiwan.
The level of bilateral tensions has been increasing lately with China’s aggressive stance towards Taiwan, trade disputes and human rights violations against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and the US selling nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.
Sullivan raised concerns about contentious issues such as Chinese actions in the South China Sea, as well as on human rights and Beijing's stances on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan, informed the White House.
Yang urged for the US and China to work together so that both the countries as well as the world can benefit from the cooperation. He noted, “Beijing attaches importance to the positive remarks on China-US relations made by Biden recently.”
Bilateral Tensions – US, China, Taiwan
During the early September call between Biden and Jinping, both leaders agreed to adhere to the Taiwan agreement as tension rise between Beijing and Taipei. The Taiwan Foreign Ministry later on October 6 asked for clarification from the US after President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to the Taiwan agreement. The US has assured Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry as well that its approach to Taiwan has not changed and it is committed to helping the democratically governed island Taiwan claimed by Beijing.
US-China Trade Talks
The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will also be visiting Brussels for attending meetings with NATO and European Union officials as well as Paris where he will brief the Europeans on his talks with China’s top diplomat Yang.
With massive trade disputes on the top of the US-China bilateral agenda, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai is expecting to hold talks with Chinese counterpart Vice Premier Liu He. While revealing the results of the review of China's trade policy, Tai pledged to hold talks with Beijing on its commitments made during the former US President Donald Trump’s trade deal and also discuss Beijing’s harmful industrial policies.
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