Jake Sullivan and Yang Jiechi speak in Zurich

AAmid rising tensions in US-China relations, President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser, Jack Sullivan, And Yang Jiechi, Beijing’s top foreign politician, met for a meeting in Zurich on Wednesday. The White House said the meeting was to continue Biden’s phone calls with President Xi Jinping in early September to seek responsible competition between the two countries. In the first phone conversation in seven months, the two leaders stressed the need to ensure that competition does not lead to conflict.

After the meeting in Zurich, Sullivan announced that he had raised several concerns for Washington. These include human rights, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan and the situation in the South China Sea. Sullivan made it clear that Washington would continue to invest in its “national strength” and work closely with its allies, but would negotiate with China to ensure responsible competition.

“Provocative military operations”

Most recently, the Chinese military has repeatedly challenged Taiwan’s air defense by allowing aircraft to infiltrate Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Washington immediately condemned Beijing’s “provocative military action.”

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Prior to the meeting, Chinese officials spoke to the South China Morning Post Yang Jiechi And Jake Sullivan to open communication channels and discuss the meeting between G and Joe Biden. Contrary to what was apparently originally planned, this will not happen at the G20 summit in Rome. Xi Jinping will only participate through video conversion. The meeting between Chinese Foreign Ministry Yang and Sullivan was arranged during a phone call between Ji and Biden in September.