White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan touted Vice President Kamala Harris’ experience in shaping the administration’s China policy following engagements with top Chinese leadership this week, noting that he shared his views of the new Democratic nominee directly with the Chinese.
“The vice president 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 Indopacific and with respect to the responsible management of US-China relations,” Sullivan told reporters during a news conference in Beijing, China.
This comes as the Biden administration continues intensive diplomatic efforts with China amid global uncertainty and a tense relationship between the two superpowers.
Sullivan also noted that Harris shares Biden’s views on the US-China relationship and the need to “responsibly” manage it. With less than 70 days until the election, countries across the globe are grappling with what a potential Harris, or Trump, administration would look like.
“She shares President Biden’s view that responsibly managing this competition, so it doesn’t veer into conflict or confrontation is essential. And she also shares the view that maintaining high level open lines of communication is the way that you can achieve that responsible management,” Sullivan said.
Remember: Harris briefly met Xi Jinping on the sidelines of APEC in 2022 but has never visited the country. Her running mate Tim Walz has been to China roughly 30 times beginning when he traveled there as a young man to teach English.
“She has had the opportunity to engage herself with President Xi, and with Premier Li. So she is known to both of the top leaders in China,” Sullivan noted.
