The South China Morning Post (January 21) disclosed that China and the US are in talks to prepare for a
potential meeting between Chinese top diplomat Yang Jiechi and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan
on core national security concerns. It cited sources as saying that the two sides are, however, deeply divided
on protocol and agenda items. It said one source had disclosed that the US side initially proposed the two
meet again in Rome around January 10, but the Chinese side was put off by Washington’s announcement of
a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, as well as a call by US lawmakers for the UN to publish
a report on Xinjiang. The source is also reported to have said “The US has been wanting to hold a meeting on national security and strategic stability for some time. But the Chinese side disagrees with what constitutes
national security and strategic stability.” “The Biden administration proposed the options of including Xu
Qiliang [senior Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission], Wei Fenghe [Defence Minister], or
working-level representatives from the PLA" but “China believes the US is asking for too much, especially
when the relationship is at such a delicate point at the moment.” The source added that China was also
reluctant to send military representatives, as suggested by the US, and did not want arms control to dominate
the discussion. The paper added that among the items on the agenda could be Taiwan, the South China Sea,
the East China Sea, Xinjiang, and Hong Kong. The South China Morning Post mentioned also that UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is now under pressure from the US and its allies to issue
a report on alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang before the start of the Winter Games. She has been
asked to publicly press Beijing for unfettered access to the troubled region
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