Biden adviser spoke with a prominent representative of Chinese diplomacy, incl. in North Korea

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi on Monday in Luxembourg, the White House said. The conversation dealt with, among other things, China’s veto of additional UN sanctions against North Korea.

As the White House reported in the press release, the discussion by the representatives of the great powers was “honest, brief, and productive” and addressed a number of “regional and global security issues.” Sullivan also stressed the importance of maintaining “open lines of communication” with the People’s Republic of China.

He told reporters that Sullivan’s conversation with a member of the Chinese Politburo and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee lasted 4.5 hours. Biden’s envoy was, among other things, expressing US concern about China blocking additional UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea over its growing violation of the missile test ban.

When asked about a possible conversation between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a White House spokeswoman said there were no such plans yet.