National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok on January 26-27. The purpose of the meeting was to follow up on the Woodside Summit between President Biden and President Xi held last November. It was part of an effort to keep communication lines open and responsibly manage competition in the relationship as directed by the leaders. Mr. Sullivan emphasized the need to prevent the competition between the United States and China from escalating into conflict or confrontation. The two sides discussed the next steps for cooperation in various areas that were discussed at Woodside. Mr. Sullivan and Director Wang Yi acknowledged the recent progress in resuming military-to-military communication and highlighted the importance of maintaining these channels. They also talked about the next steps for organizing a U.S.-China dialogue on AI in the spring. Additionally, Mr. Sullivan and Director Wang Yi welcomed advancements in cooperation on counternarcotics issues, including the launch of the U.S.-China Counternarcotics Working Group on January 30. The two sides engaged in candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on global and regional issues, including matters related to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Middle East, DPRK, the South China Sea, and Burma. Cross-Strait issues were also discussed, and Mr. Sullivan emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Both sides committed to sustaining this strategic communication channel and to pursuing further high-level diplomacy and consultations in key areas between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, including through a call between President Biden and President Xi.
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