U.S. Says China Talks on Russia Were a ‘Substantial Discussion'
- Russia had asked China for military aid, U.S. officials say
- State department spokesman says U.S. raised concerns
The U.S. and China offered positive assessments of their first high-level, in-person talks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine -- with the White House calling discussions “substantial” and Beijing saying they were “constructive” -- although they announced no specific outcomes or agreements.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan “raised a range of issues in U.S.-China relations,” including the war, in a roughly six-hour meeting in Rome with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, the White House said afterward. “They also underscored the importance of maintaining open lines of communication between the United States and China,” according to the statement on the meeting, which was initially planned as a follow-up to President Joe Biden’s video summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November.