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The White House on Wednesday said that the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who is on a three-day visit to China, conveyed to Beijing that the US would defend its regional allies, after Japan and the Philippines blamed China for stoking tensions read more
 "During tense visit, Sullivan backs Asia allies as China cautions US against supporting Philippines")
Wang Yi, right, the director of the Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office, gestures to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, before their talk at Yanqi lake in Beijing, on Tuesday. AP
The White House on Wednesday said that the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who is on a three-day visit to China, conveyed to Beijing that the US would defend its regional allies, after Japan and the Philippines blamed China for stoking tensions.
“Mr Sullivan reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies,” AFP quoted the White House as saying after he met China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
He also expressed concern over “destabilising” Chinese maritime operations against the Philippines, added the White House.
After their meeting, Chinese state media reported that Wang cautioned Washington against supporting the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea.
“The United States must not use bilateral treaties as an excuse to undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should it support or condone the Philippines’ actions of infringement,” AFP quoted Wang telling Sullivan, citing state broadcaster CCTV.
On Monday, Beijing said it had taken “control measures” against two Philippine Coast Guard ships that “illegally” entered an area of disputed reefs and waters.
Manila said the Chinese vessels had prevented Philippine ships from resupplying their own coast guard vessels in the area, blasting the move as “aggressive” and calling Beijing the “biggest disrupter” of peace in Southeast Asia.
According to CCTV, Wang emphasised to Sullivan that “China is firmly committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over the South China Sea islands”.
Tokyo meanwhile accused Beijing of violating its airspace on Monday, with a two-minute incursion by a surveillance aircraft off the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea.
It said the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace was a “serious violation” of its sovereignty and accused Beijing of becoming “increasingly active”.
Sullivan arrived in Beijing on 27 August for a new round of strategic talks ahead of the US presidential elections in November.
Sullivan’s trip, his first to China, builds on previous engagements with Wang Yi in Vienna, Malta, and Bangkok.
The trip highlights ongoing efforts to keep communication channels open and address rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
As President Joe Biden nears the end of his term without having visited China, Sullivan’s meeting with Wang Yi gained added importance.
Ahead of the meeting, speculation was rife that Sullivan’s trip to Beijing might set the stage for Biden’s first visit to China.
However, some analysts remain skeptical, suggesting that while a pre-war scenario could make such a visit more plausible, it remains unlikely that Biden will visit China before leaving office.
If Biden departs without making this trip, he will join Ronald Reagan as one of the only two US presidents who did not visit China during their tenure.
In this light, Sullivan’s visit is being viewed as a crucial stand-in.
With inputs from agencies
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English (US) ·