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China, US move further apart as Ukraine adds to tensions, observers say
- Leaders last spoke in November and they’re not expected to hold direct talks any time soon
- Putin’s war was the focus of Monday’s seven-hour meeting between senior officials in Rome
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The Ukraine crisis is driving China and the United States further apart, and observers do not expect their leaders to meet or the relationship to improve any time soon.
The assessment follows Monday’s “intense” seven-hour meeting between China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Rome.
Readouts from both sides emphasised a commitment to keep communication open and avoid conflict, but that appears to be where the agreement ends.
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Yang called on the US to “truly deliver” on President Joe Biden’s promises to Chinese leader Xi Jinping at their summit in November – particularly on Taiwan. He said Washington’s stand on the island was “obviously not consistent with its statements”. Sullivan raised concern over Beijing’s “provocative actions” in the Taiwan Strait, while Yang warned Washington against going further “down the road of great danger” on the issue.
The US does not have formal ties with Taipei but has been moving closer to the self-ruled island – angering Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.
But Ukraine was the focus of Monday’s talks. Sullivan warned that China could face serious consequences if it backed Russia’s war; Yang said the US should not mischaracterise Beijing’s position on the conflict.
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