US National Security Adviser Sullivan ends three-day China visit to improve ties

President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping will be speaking via phone in the coming weeks, White House says

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in Beijing. AP

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met China's President Xi Jinping on Thursday, wrapping up a three-day visit to Beijing aimed at improving fraught relations between the two world powers as the US moves towards elections in November.

The officials discussed anti-drug efforts, military communications and artificial intelligence safety and risk, the White House said. They also discussed regional issues including the South China Sea, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Among other issues of global concern, we discussed the recent efforts to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza," Mr Sullivan said during a news conference.

In a readout of the meeting, the White House said it "was part of ongoing efforts to maintain channels of communication and responsibly manage the relationship between the United States and the PRC [People's Republic of China]".

On Wednesday, Mr Sullivan met Gen Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, to discuss communication between the two militaries.

The visit comes as President Joe Biden enters his last few months in office, with the US set to hold elections on November 5 in a race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.

Mr Sullivan touted Ms Harris’s foreign policy credentials during the visit and said she would follow Mr Biden's path when it comes to China.

“Vice President Harris has been a central member of the Biden foreign policy team, a leading member and has been part of the design and execution of the overall strategy in the Indo-Pacific with the respect to the responsible management of US-China relations,” Mr Sullivan said on Thursday.

During her speech capping the Democratic National Convention last week, Ms Harris promised to take a firm line with Beijing.

“I will make sure that we lead the world into the future on space and artificial intelligence, that America, not China, wins the competition for the 21st century and that we strengthen, not abdicate, our global leadership,” she said.

Since taking office in 2021, Mr Biden has pursued direct diplomacy with China as a way to ease tension. His predecessor, Mr Trump, who advanced and “America first” foreign policy, said a tougher approach was needed on China's assertive economic and foreign policies.

The US and China have been competing for global economic and political influence for years, and the two superpowers are at odds over a number of global issues, including Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its support for Russia's war in Ukraine. In China, the world's second-largest economy, there is also a high level of economic tension over issues such as electronic vehicle sales and chip manufacturing.

While Mr Biden has sought to manage that competition, Mr Trump has vowed to directly confront China, including promising to impose 60 per cent tariffs on Chinese-made imports.

Mr Biden in May increased tariffs on Chinese-made EVs from 25 per cent to 100 per cent to offset what he called Beijing's unfair practices and level the playing field for US car makers.

Mr Xi and Mr Biden met in November during a major summit in California, where the two leaders agreed to resume military-to-military communications and work to curb the production of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US.

The White House on Thursday said Mr Biden and Mr Xi would be holding a call in the coming weeks.