Sullivan and King meet for two days in Bangkok
U.S. raises concerns about North Korean weapons tests with China
Reiterating previous positions on cross-strait issues
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, a ‘diplomatic tactician’ between the United States and China, and Wang Yi, Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office of the Chinese Communist Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Minister) held high-level discussions in Bangkok, Thailand on the 26th and 27th (local time). Although U.S. President Joe Biden, ahead of the November presidential election, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who are concerned about an economic downturn, are trying to manage the conflict between the two countries so that they can focus on their own issues, they are also taking steps to address issues such as North Korea and cross-Strait (China and Taiwan). Disagreements also emerged.
A senior U.S. government official said in a briefing on bilateral consultations on the 27th, “The United States is deeply concerned about how North Korea’s recent weapons tests and the development of North Korea-Russia relations will affect the intentions of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.” This official said, “We raised these concerns directly with China, considering China’s influence on North Korea.” This means that China is urging China to exercise influence over North Korea, which has recently increased the level of threats and provocations.
This official also said that he was aware of the fact that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Wei-dong was dispatched to North Korea, and that a telephone discussion would take place between the U.S. representative and Vice Minister Sun upon his return.
Discussions also took place on cross-Strait issues, where there are concerns of intensifying conflict following the election of pro-American and anti-China Lai Ching-de of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan’s presidential election.
According to the White House, Advisor Sullivan conveyed the message that he ‘opposes any unilateral change of the status quo and does not support Taiwan’s independence.’ This is a message to deter a situation where China starts a war to prevent Taiwan’s independence. “The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair, and Taiwan’s elections cannot change the basic fact that Taiwan is part of China,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Wang said.
This high-level consultation was held for a total of 12 hours over two days as part of the agreement to maintain communication channels at the summit between the two countries held in San Francisco, USA, in November last year. The White House said it expects a phone call between the leaders of the two countries to take place this spring. A working group to control fentanyl agreed upon at the summit is also scheduled to be launched on the 30th.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.