U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a virtual bilateral meeting at the end of 2021

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to hold a virtual bilateral meeting before the end of 2021, the White House informed. According to media reports, the two sides have reached an agreement on virtual bilateral meetings in principle. During the meeting between US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Zurich, a virtual bilateral meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping was announced.

According to media reports, the closed-door high-level meeting between Sullivan and Yang Jiechi aimed at strengthening communication between the two major economies lasted more than six hours. The two met for the first time after an unpleasant public dissatisfaction in Alaska in March 2021. The meeting was described as a follow-up to the September 9 call between US President Biden and the Chinese President.

U.S. National Security Adviser Sullivan and Chinese leaders meet for the first time since Alaska

Despite increasing strategic confrontation and tensions on several bilateral issues, including Taiwan, the meeting between Jack Sullivan, the US National Security Adviser, and Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, focused on improving communication between the two countries.

With China taking a hardline stance against Taiwan, trade disputes and human rights violations against Uighurs in Xinjiang, and the United States selling nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, bilateral tensions have been increasing recently.

Sullivan told the White House that he was concerned about controversial issues such as China’s actions in the South China Sea, human rights, and Beijing’s position in Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.

Yang Jiechi urged the United States and China to work together so that both countries and the world can benefit from cooperation. He said that Beijing values ​​Biden’s recent positive comments on Sino-US relations.

Bilateral tensions in the U.S., China, and Taiwan

In the conversation between Biden and Jin Ping in early September, as tensions between Beijing and Taipei increased, the two leaders agreed to abide by the Taiwan agreement. After President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to the Taiwan agreement, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the US for clarification later on October 6. The United States also assured Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that its attitude towards Taiwan has not changed and that it is committed to helping the island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims to have democratic governance.

U.S.-China trade talks

US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan will also visit Brussels to participate in meetings with NATO and EU officials and Paris, where he will introduce to Europeans his talks with China’s top diplomat Yang.

Since large-scale trade disputes are the top priority of the US-China bilateral agenda, U.S. Trade Representative Catherine Tay looks forward to holding talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. While revealing the results of China’s trade policy review, Dai promised to hold talks with Beijing on the commitments made during the trade agreement with former US President Donald Trump and discuss Beijing’s harmful industrial policies.