In a significant move, US President Joe Biden aims to restore military-to-military ties with China, as stated by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday. This announcement comes just days before President Biden is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, marking their second in-person meeting since Biden assumed office in January 2021.
Sullivan emphasized the President’s determination to re-establish these ties, citing it as crucial to US national security interests. The aim is to facilitate open lines of communication, reducing the risk of mistakes, miscalculations, or miscommunications between the two nations.
The effort to restore military ties could encompass various levels, from senior leadership to tactical operational interactions, both on water and in the air in the Indo-Pacific region, Sullivan explained. He stated that President Biden will seek to make progress on this front during the upcoming meeting with President Xi, though specific details were not disclosed.
Sullivan highlighted the significance of the issue, noting that the Chinese had essentially severed communication links, making the re-establishment of these ties a top agenda item for the Biden administration.
The Biden-Xi meeting is anticipated to cover a broad range of global issues, spanning from the Israel-Hamas conflict and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to North Korea’s ties with Russia, Taiwan, Indo-Pacific affairs, human rights, fentanyl production, artificial intelligence, and “fair” trade and economic relations, according to a senior US official. The resumption of military ties is poised to be a focal point in the discussions between the two leaders.
