President Biden doesn’t plan to satisfy this weekend with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who’s attending the G20 summit instead of President Xi Jinping.
“We don’t have a plan for the president to engage with the Chinese premier this weekend at this time,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan informed reporters late Thursday on the Air Force One flight to New Delhi, India.
Mr. Sullivan had been requested about whether or not Mr. Biden would convey up a Wall Street Journal report that stated Chinese individuals tried to realize entry to U.S. navy installations by posing as vacationers.
“We take the security of our installations extremely seriously against any form of threat, and we will continue to do that,” Mr. Sullivan stated, earlier than revealing the dearth of a gathering with Mr. Li.
Mr. Biden earlier this week stated he was disenchanted that Mr. Xi wouldn’t attend the G-20 summit, although it does provide a possibility for the president to work together with different nations who’re skeptical of Beijing’s affect.
Mr. Sullivan stated Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi haven’t spoken to one another immediately for the reason that fall 2022 G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. There has been loads of friction between the 2 nations, from Beijing’s aggressive posture within the South China Sea to its coziness with Russia and its determination to drift a spy balloon over U.S. soil.
Mr. Sullivan stated there may be communication between the superpowers, pointing to visits to China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellow, local weather envoy John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
“I hesitate to say ‘zero communication’ only in the following sense: Obviously, we’ve seen Secretary Blinken, Secretary Yellen, Secretary Kerry, Secretary Raimondo all travel,” Mr. Sullivan stated. “I’ve met with my counterpart. In those meetings, we are speaking on behalf of our leaders, frequently, to one another.”
“So, the idea that there’s been no communication, I think, is kind of — could be a misnomer,” he stated.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com