The two-day meeting in Malta between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was as significant as it was quiet. Malta should be praised for hosting this meeting. In doing so, it demonstrates the value of the subtle and silent diplomatic role that small states can play.
This high-level meeting is important for what it represents. The bilateral relationship between China and the United States is the most significant in international relations. It has turned the Pacific into a principal geopolitical hotspot, perhaps eclipsing the North Atlantic. The two countries are now unrivalled in terms of economic power and military might.
Relations between superpowers – a term now used by White House officials to describe China – are always significant in international politics. Presidents Biden and Xi have not met or talked since the November 2022 G20 summit in Bali. High-ranking officials on both sides are keen to ensure that the two presidents meet and discuss matters of mutual interest.
The statements issued by both governments point to the significance of this event. The White House described it as “part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication”, while Beijing described the talks as “candid, substantive and constructive”. Both sides indicated they are “committed to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level engagement”.
What this means in practice, however, is more difficult to discern. The relationship between the two sides is contentious at best. Taiwan is a principal source of conflict.
The visit to Taipei by the then-US Speaker Nancy Pelosi was viewed as a threat by Beijing and was followed by the severing of several lines of communication. After the Malta meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reiterated this: “The Taiwan issue is the first insurmountable red line in Sino-US relations.” It insisted that, under no circumstance should the US support Taiwan’s independence.
The US, while agreeing on “the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”, may have also had other priorities on the agenda.
Ukraine remains an area of interest for both the US and China. China has increasingly taken a vocal stand on the war and has even tabled proposals for conflict resolution. Indeed, Wang’s Maltese sojourn was followed by a trip to Moscow, where he met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Moscow said prior to the meeting Ukraine would be discussed.
Military-to-military dialogue is also a key priority for the US. Channels have been strained after the US sanctioned former Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu in 2018 over purchasing Russian weapons. Beijing has been critical of these sanctions, describing them as an obstacle to dialogue.
Yet some of the actions by Beijing demonstrate that not all is well. Li has not been seen in public for more than two weeks. There are indications that he may have been removed over links to military corruption.
Foreign Minister Wang is also back in office after a series of changes at the top.
While this meeting is positive in that it keeps the channels of communication between the two countries open, it must also be stressed that China remains problematic in its approach to human rights, in its willingness to go to total war over Taiwan, and in its global ambitions, which often come at a cost: the destabilisation of democratic norms.
Malta’s role as a neutral host for such talks should not make it lose sight of this.