Biden’s nat. security adviser in 4-hour meeting with Chinese counterpart after Beijing threatened war

Nearly four months into the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly is ensnared in another diplomatic morass as officials met with Chinese counterparts for a “candid” talk on “aggressive actions.”

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met in Luxembourg on Monday with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi. A senior administration official explained that during the roughly four and a half hour meeting, Sullivan warned the CCP diplomat about their position on Taiwan, according to the Daily Mail.

As part of the, “candid, substantive, and productive discussion of a number of regional and global security issues,” the official explained how Sullivan clearly framed the United States government’s position in the region.

“The national security adviser reiterated our long-standing one-China policy and our principles, positions and concerns about Beijing’s … aggressive actions across the Taiwan Strait,” the anonymous official recounted.

The discussion came on the heels of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe participating in Singapore’s 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense summit where the Chinese Minister said, “If anyone dares to split off Taiwan, we will not hesitate to fight, we’ll not flinch from the cost, and will fight to the very end.”

“No one and no country should impose its will on others, or bully others under the guise of multilateralism,” he also said, aiming the remarks at the U.S.

Similarly, Austin had told the summit that “Indo-Pacific countries shouldn’t face political intimidation, economic coercion, or harassment” from the People’s Republic of China’s “maritime militias” as the nation’s actions “threaten to undermine security, and stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.”

Biden’s administration has had to do considerable work to maintain the “strategic ambiguity” of the government’s position on the one-China policy, especially in light of the president’s many blunders when speaking on the topic. Recently the White House had to walk back his remark when he said the U.S. would intervene militarily if China invaded Taiwan.

“Look, here’s the situation. We agree with the One China policy,  but the idea that to be taken by force, just taken by force, is just not appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine,” Biden said before the White House clarified a “commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

That stability has remained in question thanks to the “aggressive actions” displayed by China and their apparent refusal to help hinder actions of hostile nations. In addition to its relations with Russia, China used its veto power to prevent sanctions against North Korea as it works toward conducting nuclear tests.

“Jake raised concerns, in particular, about the veto, which come following a significant series of ballistic missile launches in violation of previous U.N. Security Council resolutions and the preparations … for potential nuclear tests,” the official stated. “Each side laid out their positions and the way we see the situation, and certainly Jake made very clear that we believe this is an area where the United States and China should be able to work together.”

Kevin Haggerty

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