Channels of communication between the US and China must be open (Editorial)

We are still talking with China. Thank goodness.

National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan Just Held two days of talks Meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, the Communist Party leader’s top foreign affairs official, in Vienna.

Our country won’t always align with the Chinese Communist Party, but it’s worth trying to understand each other. This opens the door to better relationships and helps prevent any sort of misunderstanding from getting out of hand.

The White House said Sullivan and Yi talked about security issues, the war in Ukraine and the so-called cross-strait issue, referring to Taiwan. The official readout of the meeting said the meeting was part of an ongoing effort to keep lines of communication open and manage competition responsibly. The parties agree to maintain this important strategic communication channel to advance these goals.

President Biden visited Vienna after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Indonesia in November.

Open communication is needed to prevent any form of military escalation. Regular visits like this could also illustrate what the White House says is the challenge of managing competition responsibly. China functions as a global factory floor serving the world economy. The pandemic has made clear how a shortage of one key component can hinder work elsewhere.

For example, Ford couldn’t keep producing the F-150 if it couldn’t get every computer chip needed to complete the assembly of the popular pickup. Our economies are interconnected and interdependent.

Staying in touch with China’s leaders can help prevent mistakes and keep the world’s various economic engines running.

It is often said that talk is cheap. Not talking can get very expensive.