Biden's national security adviser to make first China visit - media
Kyiv • UNN
Jake Sullivan is planning a meeting with Wang Yi to reportedly prepare for a summit between Biden and Xi Jinping. The visit will take place against the backdrop of a tough stance on China by both US parties before the election.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will visit China next week to meet with Foreign Minister Wang Keqiang Yi, citing three people familiar with the matter, Axios reports, UNN writes.
Details
The two officials are expected to "lay the groundwork for a possible final meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this year, to follow up on their summit in California last November," the newspaper writes.
Since dropping out of the presidential race, Biden has made it clear that he plans to devote more time to foreign affairs, including more international travel.
Both leaders are expected to attend the G20 summit in Brazil after the US elections in November.
During Biden's presidency, Sullivan met with Chinese officials in Rome, Luxembourg, Vienna, and Bangkok to discuss everything from military-to-military relations to China's role in the Middle East to the war in Ukraine.
Earlier this month, a U.S. economic delegation led by Brent Neumann, the country's Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Finance, visited Beijing to discuss financial stability and global growth. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen helped set up two working groups to share information on the economy and generally keep lines of communication open.
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In June, Biden warned of the long-term challenges facing China's economy in an interview with Time magazine.
"Sullivan's high-level visit on August 27-29 comes as the United States enters the home stretch of a presidential campaign in which both parties have taken a hard line on China, especially on tariffs," the publication points out.
While U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has stuck to Biden's China policy in the administration's internal debates, foreign leaders are eager to learn more about her foreign policy priorities, the publication notes.
For his part, Trump has proposed 60% tariffs on all Chinese imports and made it clear that he sees China as a clear economic threat. He has also pushed both parties to adopt a more confrontational approach to Beijing, the newspaper writes.
On Wednesday, Trump warned, without providing evidence, that the Chinese are planning an attack on Taiwan right now. "The world is on fire," Trump said at a rally in North Carolina.