Biden will push Xi to restore military ties: official

STORY: U.S. President Joe Biden will push China to re-establish military ties this week.

That's according to White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday, ahead of the expected meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco.

In an interview with CBS, Sullivan said that, quote:

"The president is determined to see the re-establishment of military-to-military ties because he believes it's in the U.S. national security interest," and that:

"We need those lines of communication so that there aren't mistakes or miscalculations or miscommunication."

Later speaking with CNN, he also said Biden would seek to “advance the ball” with Xi on military ties, which he considers a “top agenda item,” but declined to provide further details.

Beijing has largely severed military-to-military communication with Washington after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022, the democratic island China claims as its own.

Prior to the rupture over Pelosi’s visit, the U.S. and Chinese militaries cooperated on exercises and training, such as this joint humanitarian relief drill in southwest China in 2016.

Biden is set to meet Xi Wednesday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in California.

It will be only their second in-person meeting since Biden took office in 2021.