According to the White House, Taiwan and the Ukraine situation were the main topics of the “constructive” talk.
Wang Yi, the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met in secret on Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna.
The White House issued a brief statement describing the sessions as “candid, substantive, and constructive discussions” on subjects ranging from the war in Russia and Ukraine to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
According to AP, an unnamed US official claimed that Sullivan informed Wang that Washington is “looking to move beyond” the dispute that was started by the discovery of a Chinese high-altitude balloon over US territory last winter. Early in February, the US sent a fighter plane to shoot the balloon down after alleging that it was being used for eavesdropping. Beijing said that the off-course object was an airship used for weather monitoring.
Both parties, according to the AP, acknowledged last week that the balloon incident was “unfortunate” and expressed a desire to “reestablish standard, normal channels of communications.”
The White House reportedly increased efforts to arrange additional meetings and phone calls with Chinese officials at various levels, according to a report from Bloomberg on Thursday. Also allegedly on their agenda was a phone chat between Xi Jinping and US Vice President Joe Biden. The leaders’ previous encounter took place in November in Indonesia, during the G20 meeting.
The present focus of the hostilities between Washington and Beijing is Taiwan and the larger Asia-Pacific region, where both parties have accused one another of doing provocative actions.
In response to a query from a reporter regarding bilateral relations, Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said on Thursday, “The US cannot keep bringing up the issue of communication while on the other hand, keeping suppressing and containing China.” He exhorted Washington to “form a correct perception” of Beijing and to “respect China’s red lines.”
After Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, visited the US last month, Beijing conducted military exercises near Taiwan. Beijing views the island as a part of its territory and is vehemently opposed to Taipei’s interactions with foreign leaders. Despite selling the government weaponry and making a commitment to defend the island in the event of a Chinese mainland invasion, Washington has chosen not to legally recognize Taiwan as an independent state.
