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China-US relations: Xi Jinping and Joe Biden expected to talk again soon
- US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted at a call when he said ‘he wouldn’t be surprised’ if the two presidents spoke within the next few weeks
- Disclosure came ahead of Biden’s trip to Asia, where is expected to shore up support from allies in confronting China
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The Chinese and American presidents are expected to talk again soon, according to a top White House official.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the coming weeks, President [Joe] Biden and President Xi [Jinping] speak again,” said US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan aboard Air Force One on Thursday, without elaborating.
Sullivan, who spoke to Xi’s top foreign policy aide Yang Jiechi over the phone on Wednesday, is accompanying Biden on his first Asian trip as president.
It would be Xi’s third direct contact with Biden since the US leader took office in January last year. Both virtual summits, in November and in March respectively, were preceded by talks between Yang and Sullivan.
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Summit diplomacy, which played a key role in stabilising the complex US-China relationship in the past, has largely failed to tamp down rising tensions arising from geopolitical and ideological rifts over issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the war in Ukraine.
During their first meeting in November, Xi managed to secure Biden’s commitment not to support Taiwanese independence, while the US leader sought to establish “common-sense guardrails” to avoid tensions flaring into military conflict.
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Expectations for a temporary detente were also low in the lead-up to the pair’s second meeting in March, which was overshadowed by China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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