Counter-Narcotics Working Group Meets In Beijing

Reuters carrying comments from US and Chinese officials following a key working group meeting on counter-narcotics Beijing, another marker in the ongoing 'thaw' between Beijing and Washington initiated when President Biden met Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November.

• Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong: "We had in depth communication and were pragmatic, reached common understanding on the work plan for the working group."
• Wang: "Hope both sides will proceed on basis of solid counter narcotics cooperation, principle of accommodating each other's concerns to enhance, expand cooperation to provide more positive energy for stable China-US relations."
• US Department of Homeland Security Advisor, Jennifer Daskal, said: "President Biden sent such a significant delegation to underscore the importance of this issue to the American people."
• The Washington Post notes: "The meeting marks a step forward in a process that began in November, when — in a show of good faith — Beijing opened lines of communication with the United States on counternarcotics trafficking following years of relative silence, and issued warnings to Chinese chemical makers."
• The summit follows 12-hours of "candid, substantive and constructive discussions" between White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and China's top diplomat Wang Yi which reportedly included talks on potential US-China cooperation to dial down tensions in the Middle East.
• The flurry of recent diplomatic activity, and crucial reactivation of military-to-military lines of communication, suggests that the Biden administration's message, that the US "does not seek to decouple from China," has led to reengagement on multiple fronts.