Will latest high-level talks help open a new chapter in US-China relations?

Both sides say the meeting between Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan in Vienna was ‘candid and constructive’ but analysts remain cautious about where it will lead

High-level contacts were largely suspended after the US shot down an alleged spy balloon. But the White House has signalled its willingness to move on

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The talks took place over two days in Vienna. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:00pm, 12 May 2023Updated: 12:30am, 13 May 2023

Talks between China’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Austria this week may help pave the way for further high-level engagements, including talks between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, but diplomatic observers are cautious about how much progress will be made.

High-level contacts were largely suspended after Washington shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February, an incident that prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call off a planned visit to China.

Beijing was incensed by Blinken’s decision to cancel the trip – which some observers described as the only tangible result of Xi and Biden’s meeting in Bali in November – and has since been reluctant to resume talks.

Both sides described the Wang-Sullivan talks as “candid” and “constructive”, with Beijing adding that they included “discussions on removing obstacles in China-US relations and stabilising the relationship”.

The White House said the talks, held on Wednesday and Thursday in Vienna, were “substantive” covering key issues such as Taiwan, “global and regional security issues” and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

It was Wang’s first meeting with Sullivan since he took on the top foreign policy role and marked the highest-level dialogue between the two countries since last year’s Bali meeting.

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