White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with China¡¯s top diplomat Wang Yi on Friday, people familiar with the matter said, as the two sides look to ease tensions that have continued to build in recent months.
Sullivan¡¯s previously unreported call took place days before Taiwan¡¯s President Tsai Ing-wen is scheduled to stop in the U.S. en route to Central America, a trip that¡¯s likely to further inflame Beijing¡¯s ire. In a sign of the fraught state of U.S.-China ties, neither side opted to publicize the call between Sullivan and Wang.
Spokespeople for the White House and the Chinese Embassy didn¡¯t immediately respond to requests for comment. The people who confirmed the call asked not to be identified discussing private conversations.
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