US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in two days of talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok, failed to get China to pressure Iran to stop Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, an official of the US administration announced.
He said the talks ended Saturday with no indication that China was ready to take decisive steps to use its economic influence on Iran, which funds and equips the Houthis, to get Tehran to stop supporting Yemeni militants, Politico reported.
"Beijing says it will raise the issue with the Iranians, but we will certainly wait before commenting further on how effectively we think they are actually doing that," a senior US administration official told reporters.
According to him, Washington is also hitting a wall in trying to encourage Beijing to persuade its close ally North Korea to reduce its nuclear weapons program, to reduce its support for Russia in the war against Ukraine and to tone down its increasingly hostile rhetoric towards South Korea.
Beijing on Taiwan
A statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the meeting stated that the Sullivan-Wang talks were "sincere, meaningful and fruitful", but made no mention of the Red Sea crisis being discussed.
Instead, the Ministry emphasizes that Wang told his interlocutor that the issue of Taiwan's independence is "the biggest challenge for China-US relations."
It reiterated Beijing's concern that the US is using export restrictions "to contain and suppress the development of other countries" and said the two countries would discuss "the boundary between national security and economic activities" in future meetings.
It added that Wang said both sides should use the upcoming 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as a chance to reflect on past experiences and treat each other as equals, "instead of adopting a condescending attitude."
"Both sides should be committed to mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, building a correct way for China and the US to interact," Wang said.
China's reluctance to use its diplomatic and economic importance to support US moves to resolve the Red Sea crisis and mitigate North Korea's provocations points to the limited reach of the Biden administration's diplomatic efforts in relations with Beijing, according to Politico.
They attacked more than 30 ships
The Houthi armed militia, which enjoys the support of Iran, since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7 last year attack cargo ships in the Red Sea that allegedly have ties to Israel.
So far, the Pentagon claims, they have attacked more than 30 ships, which is why large shipping companies have started to avoid the shortest route between Asia and Europe via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, which has increasing consequences for the world economy.
Therefore, the United States of America and Great Britain, with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, started with bombing positions of the Houthis in Yemen.
