[Epoch Times, March 15, 2022](Epoch Times reporter Zhang Ting comprehensive report) On Monday (March 14), US National Security Advisor Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi held a seven-hour meeting in Rome. talks. After the meeting, U.S. officials said the meeting was “intense.” Sullivan directly raised U.S. concerns about Beijing’s siding with Moscow to Yang Jiechi, and named the possible consequences of doing so.
It was the first face-to-face meeting between senior U.S. and Chinese officials since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. delegation, led by national security adviser Jake Sullivan, met with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome “directly and very clearly,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Monday. raised “concerns about China’s support for Russia.
Supporting Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine will have ramifications for Beijing’s relations around the world, including with U.S. allies and partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, Price said at a regular news conference.
The White House issued a statement on the meeting, saying that the meeting between Sullivan and Yang Jiechi is a follow-up to the video conference between Presidents Biden and President Xi on November 15, 2021. Sullivan raised a range of U.S.-China relations issues and discussed Russia’s war on Ukraine extensively. They also emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the U.S. and China.
The meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials comes amid growing concerns in the West that instead of condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Beijing could help Moscow evade Western sanctions.
Talks ‘intense and candid’
“I just want to reiterate that we do have serious concerns about China standing with Russia at this time, and the National Security Adviser (Sullivan) spoke directly about these,” a senior administration official told reporters after the meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials, according to Reuters. concerns and the potential impact and consequences of certain actions.”
The official added that Sullivan described to Yang Jiechi that “the solidarity of the United States and its allies and partners … makes Russia pay for its actions.”
The official described the meeting as “intense” but “very candid”, reflecting the “seriousness” of current events. The meeting, which was planned long ago, was not aimed at Ukraine and covered other issues, including North Korea, Taiwan and strained bilateral relations.
When asked why the meeting was so long, U.S. officials said it was important to “use the opportunity to cover a wide range of topics not only in U.S.-China relations but also of international interest.”
“We believe it’s important to maintain open lines of communication between the U.S. and China, especially in areas where we have differences, and it’s extremely important to be able to have frank and direct conversations on these matters,” the official added. So of course that’s what happened today.”
Other topics of the talks
In addition to the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the two sides also discussed North Korea on Monday. North Korea “is also an escalating situation that requires our attention,” the senior official said.
Also on the agenda of the talks was a “crisis management and strategic risk management approach”, as well as U.S. “concerns” about China’s “provocative actions in the Taiwan Strait.”
While both Beijing and Washington have described the Taiwan issue as the most sensitive issue between the two major powers, the U.S. side stressed that the Ukraine conflict appeared to be at the top of Monday’s talks.
A day before the meeting between Sullivan and Yang Jiechi, the Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN and the Financial Times all quoted U.S. officials as saying that since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has sought assistance from the CCP. Military equipment and support. In addition, Russia has demanded additional economic aid from Beijing to help offset the blow from widespread sanctions imposed by the United States and countries in Europe and Asia.
The U.S.-China meeting came as two U.S. officials said the U.S. was telling NATO allies and several Asian countries that China had signaled that it was willing to provide Russia with military and economic assistance to support the invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported. war. But both China and Russia have denied the accusation.
Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, the most influential U.S. foreign policy think tank, tweeted that there were reports that Putin had sought military support from Xi Jinping. help. Doing so means China itself will face substantial sanctions and make itself an outcast.
“This is a defining moment for China and its relationship with the United States. If China (CCP) continues to side with Putin, if it provides Russia with military, economic or diplomatic support, it will face sanctions in the short term and deep U.S. hostility in the long term. .”He said.
Sullivan warned China in an interview with CNN a day before the meeting in Rome that the United States is closely watching to see how far Beijing provides Russia with any form of support, including economic or material support, if that happens. This situation will have consequences for the CCP itself.
Sullivan also said that the U.S. is communicating directly and privately with Beijing to make it clear to Beijing that large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or attempts to help Russia make up for economic losses from Western sanctions will absolutely have consequences.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#