White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday, sources said, as relations between the world’s two largest economies remain strained.
Mr Sullivan’s previously unreported call took place days before Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen was scheduled to pass through the US on her way to an official visit to Central America.
In a sign of the fraught state of US-China ties, neither side chose to publicise the call between Mr Sullivan and Mr Wang.
The official contact comes after Bloomberg reported that a call between President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping will not happen as soon as US officials had hoped.
In recent years, relations between the two countries have deteriorated as the US and China have clashed over matters ranging from trade to technology and the South China Sea.
Ms Tsai’s stop in the US is the latest irritant. She is expected to visit New York on March 29 and 30 and then stop in Los Angeles a week later.
Such stopovers are normally routine but will draw new scrutiny given the strained state of US-China relations.
More on Quran memorisation:
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
