Surprise Beijing meeting raises hopes of Biden-Xi talks

Xi Jinping has held a surprise meeting with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the culmination of a three-day Beijing visit designed to lay the groundwork for direct talks between the Chinese leader and outgoing US president Joe Biden.

Meeting the top Biden administration official in the Great Hall of the People, Mr Xi said China expects the US to take the “right” view of Beijing’s development as an “opportunity rather than a challenge”.

The US readout of the Xi-Sullivan meeting said the two sides welcomed “ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication, including planning for a call between President Biden and President Xi in the coming weeks”.

Mr Sullivan’s trip also included a rare meeting with Mr Xi’s most senior military adviser, the first of its kind in eight years, as well as with foreign minister Wang Yi.

And it concluded with generally positive signalling in statements from both sides as they aim to improve on the current frosty state of relations between the world’s two largest economies. Mr Xi and Mr Biden have not spoken face to face since a summit in November, and last spoke on a phone call in April.

Mr Sullivan said President Biden was “committed to responsibly managing this consequential relationship to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.”

The Chinese president said the foremost issue between the two countries was a question of perception, asking for find an answer to the question: “Are China and the United States rivals or partners?”

Mr Xi said China’s “commitment to the goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship remains unchanged”.

He also expressed “hope that the US side will work in the same direction with China, view China and its development in