US, Chinese officials talk about range of issues

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday afternoon, as he wrapped up three days of talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior officials.

Xi told Sullivan that Beijing's commitment to good ties with Washington remained unchanged, state media reported.

"China's commitment to the goal of stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations hasn't changed," Xi told Sullivan, according to state broadcaster CCTV. "We hope that the US will work with China to meet each other halfway."

China and the United States should become a source of stability for world peace and a propeller for common development, Xi said. He also expressed his hope that the United States would work in the same direction as China.

Meanwhile, Sullivan told Xi that US President Joe Biden is committed to managing the relationship to avoid conflict. "President Biden looks forward to engaging with you again in the coming weeks," Sullivan also told Xi.

Sullivan and Xi discussed several issues, including cross-strait issues, Russia's war against Ukraine and the South China Sea, the White House statement said. 

Sullivan stressed the importance of avoiding conflict

Earlier on Thursday, Sullivan met with one of China's top military officials, General Zhang Youxiam, at the headquarters of the Peoples' Liberation Army in Beijing. 

On the last leg of his three-day visit to China, Sullivan urged better military-level communications between the two nations in wide-ranging talks with Zhang. 

Thursday marked the first meeting of an official of US President Joe Biden's administration and Zhang, who is the vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission.

Zhang is close to Chinese President Xi Jinping and some experts believe he is more influential than the defense minister.

"Your request for having this meeting with me demonstrates the value the US government puts on military security and our military-to-military relationship," Zhang said. 

"The key to the smooth development of China-US interaction lies in treating each other as equals," Wang told Sullivan, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Sullivan emphasized the importance of avoiding conflict or competition between the two sides.

"Given the state of the world and the need for us to responsibly manage US-China relations, I think it's a very important meeting," Sullivan said.

Plans to improve military communication

Zhang and Sullivan said arrangements had been made to improve military communications. On Wednesday, the two superpowers agreed to hold theater-level calls between military commanders soon.

Such a call would involve Admiral Samuel Paparo, who heads the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii, and his Chinese counterpart, according to comments from Danny Russel, a vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York, to the AP news agency.

China had suspended military communication with the US after lawmaker and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. The talks were resumed in late 2023, after a meeting between Xi and Biden.

The White House said the dialogue was "candid, substantive, and constructive." It added they spoke about issues ranging from the Middle East and Ukraine, Chinese territorial claims from Taiwan to the South China Sea and trade.

The White House said Sullivan addressed the issue of stability in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea and raised concerns about Chinese support for Russia during the Russian war against Ukraine 

"China demands that the US halts military collusion with Taiwan, ceases arming Taiwan, and stops spreading false narratives related to Taiwan," Zhang told Sullivan, according to Beijing's Defense Ministry.

tg,dh/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)