KATHMANDU: The National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, will visit China this week to hold formal discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Sullivan will travel to China for the first time in his new position for these discussions, which are slated for August 27–29. These talks could involve arranging a possible meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year as part of the continuous attempts to normalize U.S.-China relations.
The main topics of discussion will include US worries over China's economic, political, and military pressure on Taiwan. In order to allay these worries and motivate China to hold substantive talks with Taipei, the U.S. Sullivan and Wang are also anticipated to talk about strategic issues like military communication, AI safety, and collaboration in the fight against drugs.
This visit comes amid heightened tensions, including China’s recent suspension of talks with the U.S. on nuclear safety and security. The U.S. remains open to developing risk reduction measures but faces reluctance from China, which prefers discussions on a no-first-use nuclear weapons doctrine that the U.S. is not prepared to adopt.
