US and Chinese officials meet in Malta to discuss Ukraine and other flashpoints

A senior White House official told reporters in a telephone briefing September 17 that Sullivan reiterated American concerns about recent Chinese military actions around Taiwan and other coercive activities, and said that any disputes or conflicts must be resolved peacefully.

The White House announced Sunday that its national security adviser met over the weekend with China’s top diplomat in Malta, as part of efforts to keep communication open between the two nations and as political purges roil elite circles in Beijing.

Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, met with Wang Yi, the Communist Party’s top foreign policy official and China’s foreign minister, on Saturday and Sunday, the White House said in its summary of the talks. The summary said they spoke about relations between the two nations, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan, a de facto independent democratic island that the party aims to rule and that is an important U.S. partner.

A senior White House official told reporters in a telephone briefing Sunday that Sullivan reiterated American concerns about recent Chinese military actions around Taiwan and other coercive activities, and said that any disputes or conflicts must be resolved peacefully.

The American official also said Sullivan stressed that China should not try to aid Russia in its war on Ukraine. The core of those concerns pertains to the US intelligence assessment that since the winter, China has been considering sending weapons to President Vladimir Putin for his war. American officials announced those findings in late February and confronted Chinese officials with them at the time. The White House official said China had so far refrained from sending any substantial weaponry.

A summary issued Sunday by the Chinese government said Wang stressed that the Taiwan issue was a “red line” for China, language that is consistent with the long-running view among Chinese leaders. The summary also said the officials discussed matters related to the Asia-Pacific region, the Korean Peninsula and Ukraine, as well as measures for “personnel exchanges” between the two nations.

The White House summary said Sullivan and Wang agreed that the two governments would “pursue additional high-level engagement and consultations in key areas.” In recent weeks, American officials have said they were trying to set up a meeting between President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, on the sidelines of an international summit in San Francisco in November. However, recent developments, especially within the Chinese government and the party, have cast doubt on whether that would happen.

Questions are swirling around recent purges within the top levels of the Chinese government and the Communist Party. American officials determined this past week that Gen Li Shangfu, the Chinese defense minister, who had not made any public appearances or pronouncements since late August, had been placed under investigation for corruption. In July, Xi abruptly ousted Qin Gang, the foreign minister, and announced that Wang, who had held that minister post before being promoted to the top foreign policy job within the party, would take over Qin’s duties.

US intelligence agencies have been working hard to try to glean insights into the current conflicts within the leadership ranks, as part of a much broader espionage shadow war and intelligence collection campaign between the United States and China.

Biden has made an effort since the spy balloon crisis early this year to try to have his top officials engage in high-level diplomacy with counterparts in Beijing to establish stability in relations, no matter how slight.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Beijing in June for two days of meetings, mainly separate talks with Xi, Wang and Qin, after canceling a trip during the balloon episode in early February. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen went to Beijing soon afterward and even made headlines by dining at a popular restaurant in the Sanlitun district that serves exotic mushroom dishes. She was soon followed by John Kerry, the special climate envoy, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

When Blinken traveled to Beijing, his aides said the summer trips were part of a series of high-level visits of officials from both countries, the world’s two largest economies. But in recent weeks, American officials have said they do not expect Cabinet-level Chinese officials to come to Washington anytime soon. Instead, they have been focused on trying to set up a potential fall meeting between Biden and Xi, which would take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in November.

American officials say that is not certain, however, and Chinese officials often do not give final agreement to an important diplomatic meeting until the last minute, to try to exercise leverage with the other nation.

Xi is grappling with internal political issues as China’s economy is slowing, raising doubts about the nation’s prospects for continued growth. At the same time, an increasing number of Chinese citizens in elite circles are complaining about the direction of the country, criticizing Xi’s recent policies as well as his relentless promotion of party ideology and trumpeting of his own personal status within party history.