The United States and China are set to hold high-level talks in Beijing next week, as both countries seek to navigate their increasingly complex relationship. Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, will meet with Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, from August 27 to 29. The agenda for these talks is extensive and covers a wide range of issues, including Taiwan, US-China military interactions, and the ongoing fentanyl crisis plaguing the United States.
The two officials will also discuss China’s support for Russia’s defense industry, a topic of significant concern for the US. Other key points on the agenda include the South China Sea, North Korea, the Middle East, Myanmar, and the development and implications of artificial intelligence. The discussions come at a time when US-China relations have been strained, reaching a historic low point last year following the incident involving a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon.
Despite the tensions, both sides have expressed a desire to stabilize the relationship. Reports suggest that Sullivan and Yi’s talks are intended to lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. This meeting would serve as a follow-up to their summit in California last November. While the White House has not officially confirmed plans for such a meeting, the upcoming discussions in Beijing are widely seen as a crucial step in that direction.
Sullivan and Wang have engaged in regular talks, reflecting the US administration’s approach of managing competition between the two superpowers responsibly. Their last meeting in January in Bangkok focused on advancing outcomes from the California summit, including the resumption of military-to-military talks, collaborative efforts in counter-narcotics, and addressing the risks posed by artificial intelligence.
While the upcoming talks will likely be influenced by the approaching US presidential election, officials emphasize that the focus will remain on the substantive issues at hand. The US aims to make progress on key areas before the end of the year, with a view to managing the complex relationship effectively.
A key priority for Sullivan is the resumption of theater-level military-to-military talks with China. He will also raise US concerns regarding China’s increasing pressure on Taiwan, both militarily, diplomatically, and economically. Sullivan will be seeking China’s perspective on the situation in the Middle East, where the two countries have different approaches but share concerns about regional instability.
Despite the areas of tension, the US acknowledges the potential for cooperation, particularly in addressing the fentanyl crisis. The US will push for greater collaboration in combating the trade of illicit precursor chemicals and fentanyl. Critics within the US argue that the Biden administration has not exerted enough pressure on China regarding fentanyl, which is now the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the US. China, however, maintains that it is taking steps to crack down on fentanyl and precursor chemicals, attributing the US crisis to demand rather than supply.
These talks come on the heels of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing in April. While that visit yielded little progress on contentious issues, it did focus on educational and cultural exchanges, aiming to ease tensions. Blinken reiterated US concerns regarding China’s actions towards Taiwan and its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine during a meeting with Wang Yi in Laos in July.
The upcoming talks in Beijing provide a critical opportunity for the US and China to engage in open and constructive dialogue on a range of crucial issues. The discussions will be closely watched as both countries navigate their complex relationship, seeking to stabilize it while addressing areas of contention and exploring potential avenues for cooperation.
