Among the issues discussed were Russia’s war in Ukraine, challenges in the Middle East, efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and counternarcotics.
White House Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and the deputy national security adviser, Jon Finer, met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu in Washington on May 30 amid tensions over Taiwan and Ukraine.
In a readout, the White House
said Mr. Finer and Mr. Ma had a “candid and constructive conversation.” The two discussed various issues, including Russia’s war in Ukraine, challenges in the Middle East, efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and counternarcotics.
They also discussed “ongoing work to continue military-to-military communication” between the two nations.
Mr. Ma’s visit to Washington came after
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and
Secretary of State Antony Blinken each made a trip to China last month. These face-to-face meetings between senior officials from the two sides result from the Biden administration’s commitment to engage with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to “
responsibly” manage competition between the two sides.
The White House said that Mr. Finer also “affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” during his meeting,” without providing further details.
Tension in the Taiwan Strait has recently escalated after China launched two days of
military drills encircling Taiwan last week to test its ability to “
seize power” over the island. The CCP used the drills as a coercion tactic to put pressure on the island’s newly sworn-in administration of President Lai Ching-te.
U.S. officials have since spoken out against China’s military moves. The U.S. State Department condemned the drills as “
military provocations” and called on China to act with restraint.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan “stopped by” the meeting, the White House said, and he exchanged views on “key issues” with Mr. Ma.
The topic of Taiwan also came up during talks between Mr. Campbell and Mr. Ma.
“The Deputy Secretary underscored the United States’ strong concerns regarding the PRC’s destabilizing actions around Taiwan and in the Taiwan Strait that erode the status quo that has maintained regional peace and stability for decades,” according to a
press release from the State Department, referring to China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
Russia
Other topics during Mr. Campbell’s meeting included artificial intelligence risks and safety, the Chinese regime’s “destabilizing action” in the East China and South China Seas, North Korea, human rights abuses in China and Hong Kong, wrongful detention of U.S. citizens in China, and the need to avoid escalation in the Middle East.
Mr. Campbell also “raised U.S. serious concerns about PRC support to Russia’s defense industrial base undermining European security.”
The press release ended by saying that both sides are “committed to continue diplomacy.”
During a
press briefing on Thursday, the State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, said that G7 countries, the European Union, and NATO countries shared the view that China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine “not only threatens Ukrainian security, it threatens European security.”
Mr. Patel declined to comment when asked if the United States was considering sanctions against Chinese leadership. However, he said, “If China does not curtail its support for Russia’s defense industrial base, the U.S. will be prepared to take further steps.”
At a town hall event hosted by the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in early April, Mr. Campbell
said China would be held accountable if Russia gains ground in Ukraine, given the tightening alliance between Beijing and Moscow.
“If Russian offenses continue and they gain territory in Ukraine, that will alter the balance of power in Europe in ways that are frankly unacceptable from our perspective,” he said. “We have told China directly: If this continues, it will have an impact on the U.S.-China relationship, we will not sit by and say everything is fine.”
On Wednesday, Mr. Campbell spoke on the issue again during his visit to Brussels. He told reporters that there was an urgent need for European and NATO countries “to send a collective message of concern to China about its actions, which we view are destabilizing in the heart of Europe.”
He said China’s support was allowing Russia to reconstitute elements of its military, including artillery, drone capabilities, and long-range missiles.
On May 1, the Treasury Department
announced nearly 200 sanctions targeting Russia, including 20 companies based in China and Hong Kong.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
met with CCP leader Xi Jinping in China in mid-May, reaffirming their “
no limits” partnership. The trip marks Mr. Putin’s first overseas trip since he began a
new six-year term this month.
Reuters contributed to this article.
This article has been updated to include the State Department’s press release.
