While these engagements represent a resumption of cooperation, the two sides remain at a distance regarding defence issues.
On Tuesday, Beijing declined an invitation from Washington to a high-level meeting between Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu in Singapore.
The two are attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s main security summit, this weekend, where they appeared together briefly, but without any indication that they will hold substantive talks.
Kirby said that Washington is “willing to speak with both Russia and China without preconditions” but “that doesn’t mean without accountability”.
“China has not been transparent; they’ve not been willing to talk, they’ve not been willing to share, they’ve not been willing to join any sort of multilateral arrangement …” he said.
“They’ve not been willing to engage in a meaningful way with arms control, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to continue to make the case that it’s important.”
Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with both US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherin Tai last week. Photo: Reuters
The report, jointly released by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre (CVERC) and the cybersecurity company 360, asserted that the CIA was secretly orchestrating “peaceful evolution” and “colour revolutions” around the world by means of superior technology.
Yun Sun, director of the China programme at the Washington-based Stimson Centre, said that she had heard, though without confirmation from the government, that Burns was in China “to discuss counterterrorism” issues.
“If that is true, it means the US is reaching out on the functional issue of cooperation with China,” she said. “It would show that the US is trying to demonstrate its sincerity in improving relations with Beijing.
“Director Burns is senior, credible and has carried many important missions with diplomatic significance for the Biden administration.”
