US and China Agree to Leader Call Amid Efforts to Maintain Open Communication

In an effort to maintain diplomatic channels amid strained relations, the United States and China have agreed to more military talks and a phone call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Washington Post reports.

The agreement came after two days of talks in Beijing between US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi. The White House announced that the call between the two leaders would take place in the coming weeks as part of ongoing efforts to keep the increasingly tense relationship from escalating into violence. The two sides also agreed to hold video calls between military theater commanders at a “appropriate time,” in an effort to defuse rising military tensions, particularly in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

Sullivan expressed concerns during the talks about China’s “unfair trade policies” as well as its support for Russia’s defense sector. He emphasized that the United States would continue to take the necessary precautions to keep advanced US technologies from being used in ways that could jeopardize national security.

Wang Yi, in turn, urged the United States to respect China’s sovereignty and political system, and to put an end to what he described as China’s economic, trade, and technological suppression.

Both parties described their discussions as “candid, substantive, and constructive,” emphasizing the importance of maintaining a “strategic channel” of communication. Analysts believe that these discussions will help stabilize relations in the final months of Biden’s presidency and may pave the way for continued cooperation under a future administration.

Sullivan’s visit to Beijing, his fifth meeting with Wang since May 2023, was viewed as a significant step forward in the ongoing diplomatic effort to manage the two countries’ complex relationship. The talks are also expected to pave the way for a possible meeting between Biden and Xi in November in San Francisco.