The US and China have resumed high-level diplomatic contacts, with a meeting in Vienna this week between White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, a sign of rapprochement after tensions caused by, among other things, alleged Chinese. of the “spy” balloon that flew over the USA at the end of January, AFP and EFE agencies, quoted by Agerpres, write.

According to a statement from the White House, Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi held “sincere, meaningful and constructive discussions” on Wednesday and Thursday, while China’s official Xinhua news agency reported the discussions aimed at “removing obstacles” in current Sino-US relations. .

In addition, according to the White House, the two officials discussed both “Russia’s war against Ukraine” and issues related to Taiwan, i.e. the most sensitive topics in bilateral relations.

Washington and Brussels, which are helping Ukraine militarily in the war with Russia, have repeatedly warned China not to offer such help to Moscow, which risks tipping the scales of the conflict in favor of the latter. However, Beijing has assured that it will not supply weapons to any of the parties to the conflict.

Another problem for Washington is Taiwan, a territory claimed by China. “Wang Yi clearly expressed China’s official position on the Taiwan issue,” the White House said in a statement.

Will Joe Biden and Xi Jinping meet?

The high-level contact, which took place in Vienna, followed a period of regression in relations between Washington and Beijing and, as the White House notes, is part of an effort by both countries to keep the lines of communication “open” and settle the rivalry between the two powers so that it did not develop into an open conflict.

Tensions between the two capitals rose in February after a balloon that Washington said was a Chinese “spy” balloon flew over US territory, which Beijing said was simply a weather balloon that deviated from its trajectory. Then US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken canceled his visit to China.

Last month, China accused the United States of “economic coercion” and “technological intimidation”, referring to measures by the administration of US President Joe Biden to limit US investment in China’s technology sector.

The Vienna meeting could reignite speculation about an upcoming meeting between Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. When asked about this topic on Wednesday, the American president answered: “There is progress. It will work.”