Beijing-Washington meeting on Taiwan Strait and South China Sea

US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan spoke with a top Chinese military officer about the need for stability in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. At this time, they have planned more talks between the two countries at the military level.

Jack Sullivan arrived in China's capital Beijing on a three-day visit last Tuesday. During this visit, he met with foreign minister Wang Yi and other top level officials. This is the first time a US national security adviser has visited China since 2016.

As part of this visit, Sullivan met Chinese Army Chief Zhang Yuxia this morning. In the meeting held at the headquarters of the Central Military Commission in Beijing, he told the Chinese army chief, “It is rare for us to have this kind of exchange of views.”

The White House said Jack Sullivan also said, “Given the current situation in the world and the need to handle US-China relations responsibly, I think this meeting is very important.” At this time, Sullivan was thanked for visiting China.

In the meeting, the US security adviser also discussed the importance of 'stability' in the Taiwan Strait. He emphasized on 'freedom of navigation' in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines have clashed in the region in recent months.

According to the White House, Jack Sullivan expressed concern at the meeting about China's cooperation in Russia's defense industry. Talks about the need to avoid misunderstandings in cyberspace. At the same time, he highlighted the US efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Palestine.

Meanwhile, Sullivan met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday. Before this, they have met five times in the last one and a half years. They have met four times in Washington, Vienna, Malta and Bangkok. Wang and Sullivan last met in California, United States in November last year.

Wang and Sullivan discussed plans for talks between leaders of the two countries in the coming weeks. They also exchanged views on China's increasing activity in the disputed sea area. At this time, Sullivan reaffirmed that the commitment of the United States to protect allies in the Indo-Pacific region will be adhered to.

“Yesterday's meeting also raised concerns about China's destabilizing actions against the Philippines' lawful maritime operations,” the White House said.

China's state broadcaster CCTV reported that Foreign Minister Wang also expressed his various concerns to Sullivan during the meeting. He said, 'The United States must not use bilateral agreements as an excuse to violate China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition, Washington will not be able to support the actions taken by the Philippines in violation of the law.