Biden adviser Sullivan holds ‘rare’ talks with top Chinese army official

US national security adviser and General Zhang Youxia clash over Taiwan but arrange military talks to defuse tensions.

The United States national security adviser has held wide-ranging talks with a top Chinese military official in Beijing, wrapping up a three-day trip aimed at strengthening communication between the superpowers on a range of issues.

Jake Sullivan met General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Thursday, as China is embroiled in security rows with US allies Japan and the Philippines.

The NSA raised issues such as “stability” in the Taiwan Strait, “US commitment to freedom of navigation in the South China Sea”, China’s support for “Russia’s defence industrial base” and ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire deal in the Gaza Strip, according to a White House statement.

On Taiwan, Zhang warned that the status of the self-ruled island was “the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations”.

The independence of Taiwan and “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait were “incompatible”, he said, according to a readout from China’s Ministry of National Defense.

“China demands that the US halts military collusion with Taiwan, ceases arming Taiwan, and stops spreading false narratives related to Taiwan,” Zhang added.

Before the talks, Zhang had praised the US for the value it placed on “military security and our military-to-military relationship”.

“It’s rare that we have the opportunity to have this kind of exchange,” Sullivan told Zhang in response.

The two officials arranged for more direct military talks between commanders in the future.

Defuse tensions

Sullivan also met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, who said “China’s commitment to the goal of stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations hasn’t changed,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.

“We hope that the US will work with China to meet each other halfway,” Xi said.

On Wednesday, Sullivan held talks with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in which he reportedly sought to calm tensions between the countries ahead of the US presidential election on November 5.

Wang and Sullivan discussed the prospect of talks soon between US President Joe Biden and Xi, covering a broad agenda that featured contrasting views on trade, the Middle East and Ukraine, and Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea.

Several countries in the region maintain competing territorial claims to the waters of the South China Sea. China, however, claims almost the entire area.

The White House said Sullivan had “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies”, referring in particular to China’s “destabilising actions against lawful Philippine maritime operations”.

Chinese state media reported that Wang issued a warning to Washington.

“The United States must not use bilateral treaties as an excuse to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should it support or condone the Philippines’ actions of infringement,” Wang told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Attempts at closer cooperation between the two countries come after China suspended communication between the two militaries after senior US lawmaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

Talks were only gradually resumed more than a year later, after Xi and Biden met at a summit outside San Francisco last November.