Beijing And Washington Admit To Talks Of President Biden And Chinese Foreign Ministers In Malta, Discuss What?

Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Jake Sullivan (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The White House - VOI Kolase)

JAKARTA - Beijing and Washington admitted to a meeting of White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta last weekend, as the two countries were trying to stabilize problematic relations.

The two sides held talks that "Frankly, substantively and constructively" in several meetings held on September 16-17, according to a separate statement from the White House and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published on Sunday.

There are also "limited" early signs that military communications cut off between the two sides may begin to recover, said a senior President Joe Biden administration official.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials did not comment on the prospect of military-to-military communications.

The talks in Malta lasted about 12 hours for two days, a senior President Biden administration official told reporters. Previously, Sullivan last met Wang in Vienna in May.

Separately, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides agreed to maintain a high-level exchange, holding bilateral consultations on Asia-Pacific affairs, maritime affairs, and foreign policy.

The United States told China it was ready to cooperate in the field of eradicating narcotics, artificial intelligence and climate change, even as the United States expressed concern over China's unspecified support for Russia, as well as sending cross-border fighter jets in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Wang warned the United States that the Taiwan issue was the "first intractable red line in China-US relations," according to a statement by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China claims the self-governing island is its own territory.

On the other hand, Uncle Sam's state officials said there were "small or limited indications" if Beijing was ready to reopen some cross-military communications used to defuse the conflict between the two countries, after relations between the two countries were cut following US officials' visit in August 2022.

In a statement, the White House firmly suggested that more meetings be held between the US and China, adding that both sides were "committed to maintain this strategic communication channel and to seek additional high-level engagement and consultation in key areas in the coming months."

Sullivan's meeting with Wang is the latest, from a series of high-level discussions between US and Chinese officials that could be the basis for a meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping by the end of this year.

This is happening amid a series of upheavals in the Chinese government, including the disappearance of Defense Minister Li Shangfu, and the unrest of the country's economy which has caused concerns among foreign capital.

It is known that President Biden and President Xi last met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia in 2022.