President Xi urges top US official to adopt 'rational' China policy

By Jenny Leonard

President Xi Jinping told America’s top security official the US should see China’s development as an opportunity, as both sides seek to stabilize ties ahead of the US election in November.
 

The Chinese leader held his first talks with US national security advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday afternoon in Beijing, as the Biden administration continued to rally American allies to impose a growing arsenal of trade curbs on the world’s No. 2 economy. 

“It is hoped the United States will work with China to meet each other halfway,” Xi said as the meeting began, while urging Washington to view his nation’s progress with a “rational attitude,” according to state broadcaster China Central Television.

Sullivan reaffirmed President Joe Biden’s commitment to prevent competition “from veering into conflict or confrontation,” adding that the two nations should aim to work together where their “interests align.”  

The world’s largest economies are trying to put guardrails on their relationship, as Beijing braces for a turbulent period in US politics where the only guarantee is another tough-on-China president. That vote takes place against a backdrop of rising military tensions, as China clashes with US treaty ally the Philippines, and Russia’s war in Ukraine drags into a third year.

Xi’s roughly one-hour meeting with Sullivan gave the Chinese leader an opportunity to speak directly to the man spearheading Washington’s global campaign to block China’s access to cutting-edge chips. Beijing has accused America of trying to contain its economic rise with tariffs and sanctions that Biden says are aimed at ensuring national security. 

Canada announced fresh tariffs on Chinese-made electric cars, as well as steel and aluminum, that mirrored similar US measures just hours before Sullivan arrived in Beijing.

The two sides are continuing to use dialogue to manage that fragile relationship. After a working dinner followed by a day of talks on Wednesday, Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi announced plans to set up a leaders call in the coming weeks. That could pave the way for a final Xi-Biden meeting just days after the American election, at multilateral events in Peru and Brazil that both presidents have previously attended.

US and Chinese officials also nailed down commitments this week visit for a flurry of talks in the final months of the Biden administration. John Podesta, the US senior adviser to the president for international climate policy, is set to meet next week with Chinese counterpart Liu Zhenmin.

Long-stalled calls between US and Chinese military commanders were also penciled into the diary during Sullivan’s three-day trip, along with talks between commerce officials from both sides in Tianjin next month to address trade policy concerns.

The US Trade Representative is expected in the coming days to determine when the country will begin charging previously announced tariffs on Chinese EVs and batteries after delaying an original start date of August 1. 

Sullivan and Wang have met every few months since tensions flared early last year over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that drifted over the US. The pair discussed a range of thorny issues hampering ties at a lakeside resort on the outskirts of Beijing.

China’s territorial claims over self-ruled Taiwan and in the South China Sea were on the agenda, along with Beijing’s ongoing support for the Kremlin’s war machine despite US warnings of sanctions for Chinese banks.

Wang called on Washington to stop suppressing China’s trade and technological development, calling US claims of Chinese overcapacity an excuse for protectionism that hurts the world’s green transition, according to Beijing’s readout. 

Sullivan raised concerns about China’s “unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices,” the White House said, referring to claims unfair state subsidies have given Chinese firms an advantage.