UPDATE - US, China discuss new round of interaction between 2 countries' presidents in 'near future'

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM WHITE HOUSE

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - The US and China on Wednesday agreed to maintain "high-level" exchanges and communication at all levels, besides discussing a new round of interaction between the two countries' heads of state in the "near future."

The visiting US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan Chinese, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who held two-day talks in Beijing, also agreed to continue to carry out cooperation in drug control, law enforcement, repatriation of illegal immigrants, and climate change mitigation, state-run Xinhua News reported.

Wang called on Washington to respect Beijing’s sovereignty and its political system.

“The United States should stop suppressing China in economics, trade and science and technology,” state broadcaster CCTV quoted him saying.

The two sides agreed to continue to implement the important consensus reached at the November 2023 San Francisco meeting between the two heads of state.

They also agreed to institutional arrangements for holding a video call between “theater leaders” of the two militaries as well as the second round of China-US intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence at an "appropriate" time, according to the broadcaster.

According to a statement by the White House, Sullivan and Wang Yi held "candid, substantive, and constructive discussions on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues."

"They noted the importance of regular, ongoing military-to-military communications and planned to hold a theater commander telephone call in the near future," the statement added.

They also discussed a wide range of issues, including the next steps on implementation of the Woodside Summit commitments, including counternarcotics, military-to-military communications, and AI safety and risk.

"Mr. Sullivan emphasized that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade or investment. He also raised continued concerns about the PRC’s unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices," the White House said.

Washington has long been calling for a direct line as military tensions with China have spiked in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.

Sullivan reached Beijing on a three-day visit on Tuesday.

His visit marks the first by a US national security adviser to China in eight years, and is viewed as laying the groundwork for another summit between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

Ties between the two global heavyweights have plummeted in recent years as Beijing remains deeply suspicious of Washington's efforts to strengthen its alliances and partnerships across the Asia-Pacific region.

It has accused the US of trying to build an “Asian NATO” in a region it sees as its sphere of influence.