A new hope: When Xi meets Sullivan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on August 29. — Xinhua
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan’s recent visit to Beijing indicated an effort by both countries to de-escalate tensions ahead of the American presidential election in November.
Described as talks in their “strategic communication” channel, discussions between Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ranged over all the issues that divide the two countries – Taiwan, trade, technology curbs, military postures in the South China Sea and, according to the US readout, China’s support for Russia’s ‘industrial base’. They also discussed the possibility of a call between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping to follow up on understandings reached last year in their face-to-face meetings in San Francisco and, earlier, in Bali.
