Biden official meets with China’s top diplomat for four hours in Luxembourg

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spent more than four hours on Monday meeting with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, in Luxembourg to discuss a range of topics, according to a senior administration official.  

Sullivan reiterated the Biden administration’s commitment to the “one China” policy as well as concerns about China’s “coercive and aggressive actions” across the Taiwan Strait, the official said, and warned against assisting Russia in its war in Ukraine.  

“The two shared their assessments of U.S.-China relations, including an exchange of views of how each side sees the dynamic between our two countries,” the official said, describing the meeting as “candid, in-depth, substantive, and productive.”  

Sullivan also raised concerns about China’s recent veto of a U.S. resolution at the United Nations Security Council that would have imposed new sanctions on North Korea following recent missile launches.  

“Jake made very clear that this is an area where we believe the United States and China should be able to work together,” the official said. 

The meeting came just days after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Gen. Wei Fenghe, China’s minister of national defense, in Singapore and warned Beijing over its aggressive actions toward Taiwan.

Wei later criticized the U.S. in public remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, accusing the U.S. of “smearing” China and warning against confrontation.   

President Biden also recently took his first trip as president to Asia, where he unveiled a new framework to guide U.S. economic involvement in the Indo-Pacific that is widely viewed as an effort to counter China’s growing influence.  

During that trip, Biden pledged to defend Taiwan militarily, a remark that signaled a shift in U.S. policy that the White House quickly sought to clarify.  

The White House characterized Sullivan’s meeting with Yang as part of the administration’s broader effort to “responsibly” manage competition between the U.S. and China.  

“Mr. Sullivan underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication to manage competition between our two countries,” a White House readout said.  

Sullivan last spoke to Yang on May 18. The two also met in March in Rome, where Sullivan raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia in the early days of its invasion of Ukraine.  

That last meeting preceded a video call between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping during which the American president warned China it would face consequences if it were to aid Russia in the war.  

It’s unclear whether the White House is laying plans for another Biden-Xi meeting. The senior administration official answered that “nothing specific” is planned at this time but left the door open to a possible meeting.  

Speaking later to reporters, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there were no plans for a meeting between Biden and Xi but added that the administration “will continue to maintain open lines of communication with China.” 

Updated 5:03 p.m.