Biden wants to restore military ties with China – Sullivan

US President Joe Biden wants to restore military ties with China, Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Adviser, has said.

Source: Sullivan in an interview with Face The Nation on CBS, Reuters reports

Quote: "The president is determined to see the re-establishment of military-to-military ties because he believes it's in the U.S. national security interest. We need those lines of communication so that there aren't mistakes or miscalculations or miscommunication."

Details: Sullivan noted that the restoration of military ties can take place at all levels – from the senior leadership to the tactical and operational level, as well as "on the water and in the air in the Indo-Pacific."

On CNN's State of the Union, Sullivan said Biden would try to "advance the ball" on military ties when he meets with Xi Jinping, but declined to elaborate.

Quote: "The Chinese have basically severed those communication links.  President Biden would like to re-establish that," Sullivan said, adding that "this is a top agenda item."

Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in person for the first time in a year on Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. This will be only the second face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in January 2021.

Biden and Xi are expected to discuss global issues ranging from the war between Israel and Hamas to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea's ties with Russia, Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific region, human rights, fentanyl production, artificial intelligence, and as well as "fair" trade and economic relations, a senior US official said.  

Background: The Financial Times reported that Joe Biden would bring up the need to restore communication channels between the armed forces of both countries during talks with Xi Jinping in San Francisco on 15 November.

Support UP or become our patron!