WASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Portal) – U.S. President Joe Biden wants to restore military ties with China, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, days before the president and the Chinese leader are scheduled to meet.
Biden will meet in person with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in a year on Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco. It will be only the second face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in January 2021.
“The president is committed to restoring the military relationship because he believes it is in the national security interest of the United States,” Sullivan said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We need these communication channels so that there are no mistakes, misjudgments or misunderstandings.”
Sullivan said restored military relationships could occur at all levels from senior leadership to the tactical operational level, as well as “on the sea and in the air in the Indo-Pacific.”
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia November 14, 2022. Portal/Kevin Lamarque LICENSE RIGHTS
Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Biden will try to “move the ball forward” on military ties in his meeting with Xi, but declined to provide further details.
“The Chinese have essentially cut off those communications links. President Biden would like to restore that,” Sullivan said. “This is a top agenda item.”
The Biden-Xi meeting is expected to address global issues, from the Israel-Hamas war to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s relations with Russia, Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, human rights, fentanyl production, artificial intelligence, as well as ” fair”. “Trade and economic ties,” a senior U.S. official said.
Relations between the two countries became frosty after Biden ordered the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States in February. But senior Biden administration officials have since visited Beijing and met with their counterparts to restore communications and trust.
Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Arshad Mohammed and Andrea Shalal; Editing by Scott Malone and Grant McCool
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