Wang Yi’s 2023 Russia Visit Followed U.S. Talks in Malta

What happened

China’s senior diplomat Wang Yi travelled to Moscow in September 2023 shortly after holding two days of talks in Malta with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The sequence of meetings drew attention because Beijing was maintaining close relations with Russia while also trying to prevent further deterioration in its relationship with the United States.

According to the official U.S. account reported at the time, Sullivan and Wang discussed bilateral relations, Russia’s war against Ukraine, regional security and tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Both sides indicated that they wanted to maintain communication and continue high-level engagement. The Malta meeting followed an earlier round of talks in Vienna in May 2023 and a series of visits to Beijing by senior U.S. officials.

Why the Moscow visit mattered

Wang’s trip was connected to China-Russia strategic consultations and preparations for further senior-level engagement. Russian President Vladimir Putin later travelled to China in October 2023. The diplomacy illustrated Beijing’s attempt to manage two very different relationships: a strategic partnership with Moscow and a competitive but economically important relationship with Washington.

Taiwan Strait tensions were an important part of the background. On 18 September 2023, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported detecting 103 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels around the island during a 24-hour period. It said 40 aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered parts of Taiwan’s air-defence identification zone.

Historical context

This was a developing diplomatic story when first published. Expectations of a possible meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping were later realised at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in California in November 2023.

Sources and further reading:

Associated Press report on the Malta talks: https://apnews.com/article/e28b8bb6c328790fd1a61cd97e4ca0e6

Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, 18 September 2023: https://www.mnd.gov.tw/en/Publication/81994

Editorial note: Originally published on 19 September 2023 and rewritten on 25 September 2026 as an original archived summary. The original publication date has been retained.

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