US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended an East Asia summit in Jakarta, where they engaged in high-level diplomacy amidst warnings of avoiding a “new Cold War” and concerns over tensions in the South China Sea, Taiwan, and Moscow ties.
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended an East Asia summit in Indonesia on Thursday, offering an opportunity for direct, high-level diplomacy between the rivals.
The meeting brought Washington and Beijing into contact a day after Premier Li Qiang warned major powers must manage their differences to avoid a “new Cold War” and ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi this week, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will be absent.
Interactions between the officials from the world’s top two economies are being closely watched as they seek to control tensions that risk flaring anew over issues ranging from Taiwan to ties with Moscow and the competition for influence in the Pacific.
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
