Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs (fourth right), and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (third left) pose for photos before talks in Beijing on August 27, 2024. Photo: AFP

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to kick off a three-day visit to China, making him the first US national security advisor to visit China in eight years. Experts said that the visit showed that the two sides are trying to prevent uncertainty and further stabilize bilateral ties in the remainder of the year. 

Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, held a new round of China-US strategic communication with Sullivan in Beijing on Tuesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China-US relations not only matter to both countries but also the whole world. Over the past few years, the relationship between the two countries has been full of twists and turns, according to Yuyuantantian, a media arm of China Media Group. 

It is the common responsibility of China and the US to implement the consensus reached at the San Francisco summit between the two heads of state, and it is also the main task of this strategic communication, Wang said. 

It is hoped that the two sides will have in-depth communication on this in the next two days, so as to push China-US relations, following the vision of San Francisco summit, to overcome disturbances and remove obstacles, and truly achieve stable, healthy and sustainable development, Wang stressed. 

Sullivan said that this is his first visit to China as the president's National Security Adviser, and he thanks the Chinese side for its thoughtful arrangements. President Biden is committed to managing the US-China relationship responsibly, avoiding competition from turning into conflict, and cooperating in areas of common interest, Sullivan said. 

Sullivan said the US side looks forward to having fruitful dialogue with the Chinese side on a wide range of issues through this strategic communication and implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state, according to Yuyuantantian. 

Chinese experts said that China and the US have maintained frequent communication via different channels in the year, and Sullivan's visit showed that the US wants to maintain this kind of communication. China can also use this as a chance to help the US to be more reasonable and rational when handling bilateral ties. 

China and the US still have many problems and frictions, and if China clearly identifies the US as a partner that can be cooperated with while the US sees China as a competitor, this will make bilateral ties unstable. As the world is still in turbulence, cooperation between the two major powers is highly expected by the international community, analysts said.

Lü Xiang, an expert on US studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday rather than focusing on long-term issues, the talks will largely center around pragmatic and hot spot issues.  

China is also looking for stable rather than intensified bilateral relations with the US, in at least the second half of this year, and this is the common ground shared by both sides, Lü said.

Redline not to be crossed 

One of the key topics will be the Taiwan question, and the US will be urged to stop playing its old tactic of using the "Taiwan card" to pressure China before holding dialogues, analysts said. 

China will focus on raising serious concerns regarding the Taiwan question, addressing development rights and strategic security in discussions with the US during Sullivan's visit to Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

Despite China's opposition, the US has continued exchanges with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities of Taiwan. For example, the head of the external affairs authority of Taiwan island, Lin Chia-lung and secretary-general of Taiwan's security council Wu Jaushieh, recently traveled to the Washington, DC area for talks in a mechanism known as the "special channel" with the US side, the Financial Times reported. 

DPP secretary-general Lin Yu-chang is reportedly to visit the US on August 31. Previously, Taiwan media und.com reported that Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te intended to transit through the continental US to visit "allies," but the US is reluctant to allow a high-profile stopover due to its domestic elections and will only permit Lai to transit through Hawaii. 

The Taiwan question is a critical redline in US-China relations. By arranging visits of high-level DPP officials to the US before Sullivan's trip to China, the US seeks to signal support for the DPP and exert pressure on China. However, China remains steadfast and uncompromising on the Taiwan question, Xin Qiang, director of the Taiwan Studies Center at Fudan University, told the Global Times. 

In US strategy, Taiwan is viewed as a pawn whose significance depends on US foreign policy needs. When the US seeks to pressure China, it will take provocative actions regarding the island, while if it deems closer relations with China are necessary, it will restrict the island of Taiwan's actions to avoid escalating tensions, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.   

While Taiwan may perceive itself as crucial in international affairs, its importance is relatively minor in US strategic calculations, Li said. 

"We hope the US will align its actions with its statements, genuinely respect China's core interests, particularly regarding Taiwan island, and work together to stabilize bilateral relations as both sides look forward to this round of strategic dialogue," Li said.