The White House announced on Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to have a phone conversation in the “coming weeks.” This news came as U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited Beijing this week to meet with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi. Both countries also agreed that their military leaders would hold a call soon.
Additionally, plans for the second round of U.S.-China talks on artificial intelligence are in progress. The White House mentioned that John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for international climate policy, will soon travel to China, although no specific date was provided. In official statements following Sullivan’s visit, both nations reiterated their stances on tech restrictions, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Ukraine.
President Biden, who is not seeking reelection in November, will hand over the nomination to his vice president, Kamala Harris. The White House statement referred to a “leader-level call” without explicitly naming the presidents. The Chinese statement used its customary language of “two heads of state” and mentioned discussions about “a new round of interaction.”
Biden and Xi previously had a lengthy phone call in early April, following their meeting in November 2023 during a summit in Woodside, California. Communication between the two largest economies has faced challenges in recent years due to heightened tensions and Covid-19 restrictions. Events such as Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 and a controversial incident in February 2023 further strained relations, leading to the suspension of some planned talks.
Sullivan’s visit to Beijing marks the first time a U.S. national security adviser has traveled to China since 2016, when Susan Rice visited under the Obama administration. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the upcoming presidential election, taking a tough stance on Beijing is an issue that both U.S. political parties agree on.
During a Council on Foreign Relations event in May, Harris’ national security adviser, Phil Gordon, emphasized that the “China challenge” extends beyond Taiwan and requires measures to prevent Beijing from acquiring advanced technology, intelligence, and military capabilities that could pose a threat to the United States.
