Biden to Seek Resumption of Military Ties with China

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has stated that Pres. Joe Biden will push to reestablish military-to-military ties with China — from senior leadership to the tactical operational level and “on the water and in the air in the Indo-Pacific” — when he meets with Chinese Pres. Xi Jinping on Wednesday.1
  • Sullivan’s comments on Sunday came days after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. CQ Brown Jr., commented during a trip to Tokyo that he was “hopeful” the US and China would resume communicating militarily to “ensure there is no miscalculation” between the two countries.2
  • Biden and Xi, who last met approximately a year ago at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, will have a face-to-face on Wednesday at a summit of Pacific Rim nations taking place in the San Francisco area.3
  • Last week, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in San Francisco — the latest in a series of meetings between US officials and their Chinese counterparts over the past few months.4
  • Taiwanese independence, interference in US elections, China’s support for Russia during its war with Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas conflict are other topics expected to be broached by Biden and Xi.5
  • Recent months have seen a souring of the US-China relationship, with the shooting down of a Chinese balloon over the US earlier this year, and some close calls between fighter jets last month adding to the tension.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Associated Press, 3NBC, 4Al Jazeera and 5Forbes.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by VOA. The Biden administration recognizes that reengaging with China militarily is crucial for the security of the country and world. This is yet another positive step in that direction following several high-level interactions between American and Chinese officials. This is what diplomacy looks like, and the administration is doing an exemplary job of balancing concessions with warnings.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. If this is Biden’s idea of diplomacy, he better stop soon in order to save the US from catastrophe. Biden’s approach has led to repeated concessions that have brought nothing in return from China. There’s a list of close to a dozen demands the president should make of China before continuing to make any agreements that benefit China militarily or otherwise.

Predictions