Top U.S. and Chinese Officials Discuss Taiwan and Iran in Bangkok, According to Reuters

By Chayut Setboonsarng, Liangping Gao, and Trevor Hunnicutt

BANGKOK/BEIJING/WASHINGTON – High-level discussions took place in Bangkok between top officials from China and the United States, aiming to ease tensions surrounding Taiwan and other critical issues. These talks precede an anticipated spring phone call between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan urged Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to leverage China’s diplomatic influence to persuade Iran to reduce its backing of Houthi forces attacking merchant vessels in the Red Sea, as stated by a senior Biden administration official.

Over two days, the meetings, which lasted more than 12 hours, concluded on Saturday. The discussions were meant to implement the commitments made by Biden and Xi during their California summit last November, which aimed to revive diplomatic dialogues on various global security and economic matters despite notable disagreements.

Both China’s foreign ministry and the White House released statements indicating a mutual agreement to stay connected regarding sensitive topics.

On Saturday, Taiwan’s defense ministry reported the detection of 11 Chinese military aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours. The previous day, it noted 23 Chinese planes conducting "combat readiness patrols" in the vicinity of Taiwan, accompanied by Chinese naval vessels.

China asserts its sovereignty over Taiwan and has never renounced the option of using force to assert control. Taiwan firmly contests these claims and maintains that only its population holds the authority to determine their future.

The United States shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, consistently stating it does not endorse a formal declaration of independence for Taiwan, while continuing to support the self-governing island through unofficial relations and military assistance.

There are concerns in Washington that Beijing may leverage the recent election of Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te as a reason to challenge U.S. support for the island.

Lai, who is from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and currently serves as vice president, is set to take office on May 20. China has labeled Lai a separatist and dismissed his overtures for dialogue, despite his assertions that he does not seek to alter Taiwan’s status.

Biden previously drew ire from the Chinese government with comments suggesting U.S. intervention if Taiwan were attacked, diverging from the traditional U.S. stance of "strategic ambiguity."

Wang was quoted stating that Taiwan is an internal matter for China, and recent elections in Taiwan do not alter the fact that it is part of China.

In a recent development, China criticized the United States for "trouble and provocation" following the passage of a U.S. Navy warship through the waters separating China and Taiwan since the Taiwanese elections.

"The biggest risk to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is ‘Taiwan independence,’ and the greatest challenge to China-U.S. relations also stems from ‘Taiwan independence,’" Wang was cited as saying.

The meeting on Saturday marked the fourth private engagement between Wang and Sullivan, who have sought to mitigate tensions away from the public eye.

This interaction prepares the ground for the anticipated call between Xi and Biden in the coming months—potentially this spring—which would be the eighth direct communication between the two leaders during Biden’s presidency.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Beijing in the forthcoming months, with additional military-to-military discussions scheduled, and counter-narcotics talks beginning soon in the Chinese capital.

According to U.S. officials, there have been fewer seizures of drugs used to produce fentanyl at American airports after China took measures to shut down related manufacturing companies. Fentanyl is a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.

With Biden seeking re-election in November, he has emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with Xi, viewing direct dialogue as crucial for influencing China’s actions. In contrast, his likely opponent, Republican Donald Trump, has proposed revoking China’s most-favored-nation trading status.

An escalation in conflict between the two nations during an election year could jeopardize the U.S. economy and further stretch Biden’s national security team, which is already addressing various global issues, including the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and conflicts in the Middle East.

Additionally, discussions between Wang and Sullivan covered North Korea, Myanmar, and disputes in the South China Sea involving China and nations like the Philippines. They agreed to pursue lower-level talks on some of these topics.

Sullivan pressed for the importance of Beijing using its significant leverage with Iran to cease hazardous attacks in the Red Sea, as reiterated by a U.S. official. Reports indicate that Chinese officials have approached their Iranian counterparts to curtail assaults on vessels in the Red Sea conducted by the Houthi group. The U.S. has previously encouraged China to make such diplomatic efforts.