Chinese leader Xi meets with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in a bid to improve ties
Beijing, on a visit with the stated aim of keeping communications open between the two powers, as the relationship between China and the United States has become increasingly tense in recent years.
Sullivan, on his first trip to China in his capacity as the main adviser to President Joe Biden on U.S. national security issues, has met with senior Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and a senior general of the Central Military Commission.
China and the U.S. have become increasingly at odds over various issues, starting with a trade war dating back to 2018, and which now encompasses global security matters, such as China's claims over the South China Sea, and industrial policy on things like automobile and solar panel manufacturing. Sullivan's trip this week is meant to keep the tensions from growing further.
«We believe that competition with China does not have to lead to conflict or confrontation. The key is responsible management through diplomacy,» he told reporters as he made ready to depart Beijing on Thursday evening.
Both sides said Thursday that they remain committed to managing the relationship. Xi and Biden met in San Francisco last November in an effort to improve ties.
«Although the situations of the two countries and China-U.S. relations have changed greatly, China's goal of being committed to the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations has not changed,» Xi said.
«President Biden is committed to responsibly managing this consequential relationship to
