Thailand hosted a meeting between United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi late last month, providing a venue for the global superpowers to engage in talks aimed at easing tensions between them.

The high-level diplomatic engagement was “part of the effort to maintain open lines of communication and responsibly manage competition in the relationship,” according to a statement by the White House.

Wang and Sullivan “had candid, substantive and fruitful strategic communication on implementing the consensus reached at the San Francisco meeting (between Premier Xi Jinping and President Joseph Biden) ... and on properly handling important and sensitive issues in China-U.S. relations,” China’s Foreign Ministry wrote on its website.

The choice by Washington and Beijing to try and iron out their differences in Bangkok is a positive reflection of Thailand’s approach to international affairs. The Kingdom adheres to a policy of maintaining friendly relations with all sides. That policy allows Thailand to serve as a facilitator, liaison or honest broker between adversaries in appropriate situations.

Thailand is the oldest treaty ally of the United States in Asia, with formal ties dating back to 1833. The Kingdom is also geographically close to China and has enjoyed close relations with Asia’s dominant power for centuries.

The two-day talks on Friday and Saturday covered several issues that have caused friction between the two superpowers. The discussions included Taiwan, the Middle East, Ukraine, North Korea and the South China Sea.

Sullivan “underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the White House said.

The two sides agreed to launch a joint working group on anti-narcotics cooperation and establish an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence.

Sullivan and Wang “recognized recent progress in resuming military-to-military communication and noted the importance of maintaining these channels,” the White House said.

Photo courtesy of https://thediplomat.com/2024/01/us-national-security-advisor-chinas-top-foreign-policy-official-met-in-thailand/