National security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Sept. 21, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday said President Joe Biden is “responsibly” managing U.S.–China competition, and therefore there is a need to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in person on Wednesday.
However, one Republican senator has said that the U.S. commander-in-chief has chosen to “embarrass the U.S. here at home.”
“The U.S. and China are in competition. President Biden is trying to manage that competition responsibly, so it doesn’t tip over into conflict,” Mr. Sullivan said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Nov. 12. “President Biden believes there is no substitute for leader-to-leader engagement, face to face, to manage a complex relationship like the U.S.–China relationship.”
President Biden and Mr. Xi are set to meet face-to-face in San Francisco on Nov. 15, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is being held. It will mark the second meeting between the pair since President Biden took office, and the summit will mark Mr. Xi’s first visit to the United States since April 2017.
Last week, senior administration officials disclosed that the two leaders will discuss numerous topics, including the Israel–Hamas war, the Ukraine war, Taiwan, and the restoration of essential communications between the two nations.
President Joe Biden delivers a speech at an event in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 10, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
President Biden “is determined to see the reestablishment of military-to-military ties because he believes it’s in the U.S. national security interest,” Mr. Sullivan told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.
China severed all direct military-to-military lines of communications in August last year, in retaliation for a trip to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Claiming Taiwan to be a part of its territory, Beijing opposes any form of official exchange between the self-ruled island and any government.
Mr. Sullivan said lines of communication should be restored between senior defense officials from both sides “all the way down to the tactical, operational level, on the water and in the air in the Indo-Pacific.”
“We need those lines of communication so that there aren’t mistakes or miscalculations or miscommunication,” Mr. Sullivan added.
Ultimately, the Biden–Xi meeting is important for the American people, according to Mr. Sullivan.
President Biden “is also looking for other practical ways to show the American people that sitting down with Xi Jinping can defend American interests and also progress on the priorities of the American people,” Mr. Sullivan told CNN.
‘Weakness on Communist China’
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who sits on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, criticized President Biden for continuing to be weak against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in a statement released by his office on Sunday.
“After months of Biden official after Biden official journeying to Communist China on American taxpayers’ dime to kiss Xi’s ring and play nice with America’s enemy, it’s now President Biden’s turn to embarrass the U.S. here at home,” Mr. Scott wrote.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry have all visited China this year.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks during a press conference in the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 11, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
Late last month, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi traveled to Washington and met with Mr. Blinken and President Biden, which paved the way for the Biden–Xi meeting.
“Joe Biden’s weakness on Communist China is inexcusable,” Mr. Scott said. “He has refused to hold the murderous and genocidal communist Chinese government accountable for its cover-up of COVID-19. He’s done nothing to punish Xi for his genocide of millions of Uyghur Muslims and the forced labor and child slavery he subject[s] them [to]. It [has] been one act of disgusting appeasement after the other.”
Earlier this month, 59 organizations—including Campaign for Uyghurs, China Aid Association, Friends of Falun Gong, Hong Kong Democracy Council, and Students for a Free Tibet International—sent a letter to President Biden, asking him to prioritize human rights when meeting Mr. Xi during the summit.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China has also sent a letter to the president asking him to talk to Mr. Xi about the CCP’s political prisoners.
Mr. Scott offered a list of things that President Biden “must demand answers on” when meeting Mr. Xi to “actually stand up for America’s interests.” The list included the Chinese spy balloon that the U.S. military shot down earlier this year, China’s spy base in Cuba, and the CCP’s illegal police stations in American cities, including New York City.
In April, the FBI arrested two individuals on charges of operating a Chinese secret police station in New York City. They had allegedly taken orders from the CCP to track down and silence Chinese dissidents living in the United States.
Other issues on the list include intellectual property theft, corporate espionage, and the flow of counterfeit and illicit goods into the United States.
“Communist China has chosen to be America’s enemy and NOTHING Joe Biden says is going to change that,” Mr. Scott wrote.
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
