US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have promised to cooperate on international challenges and agreed on the need to enhance strained relations after sitting down for his or her first in-person meeting as nationwide leaders on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
The meeting on Monday, which lasted three hours, concerned “candid” discussions on a variety of points, together with Taiwan, commerce, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in keeping with separate statements from their workplaces.
Following the talks, Biden informed reporters he believed “there need be no new Cold War”, whereas their workplaces mentioned the 2 leaders harassed the significance of cooperation between Beijing and Washington to deal with international points.
“Biden underscored that the United States and China must work together to address transnational challenges — such as climate change, global macroeconomic stability including debt relief, health security, and global food security — because that is what the international community expects,” the White House mentioned.
The official Chinese information company, Xinhua, additionally cited Xi as saying that the “two sides should work with all countries to bring more hope to world peace, greater confidence in global stability, and stronger impetus to common development”.
The meeting follows a spike in tensions between the 2 international locations after prime US legislator Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this 12 months and Biden promised to defend the self-ruled island — which Beijing claims as its personal — if China invades it.
“On Taiwan, [Biden] laid out in detail that our one China policy has not changed, the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and the world has an interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” the White House mentioned.
Under the “One China policy”, the US recognises the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Beijing over the Republic of China (ROC) in Taipei as the only and authorized authorities of China. But Washington takes no place on Taiwan’s sovereignty, contending that its future ought to be decided by peaceable means.
This coverage is completely different to the PRC’s “One China principle”, beneath which Beijing insists that Taiwan is an inalienable a part of its territory.
For his half, Xi harassed that the “Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations”. Resolving this query is an inside Chinese matter and the US should not use Taiwan as a instrument to hunt benefits in competitors with China, he mentioned, in keeping with a readout of the meeting by the Chinese international ministry.
After the meeting ended, Biden informed reporters that Washington doesn’t consider there is a direct risk of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
“I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War,” Biden mentioned. “I’ve met many times with Xi Jinping. And we were candid and clear with one another across the board. And I do not think there’s any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan.”
‘No zero-sum game’
Beyond Taiwan, ties between Beijing and Washington have soured over quite a few different factors of pressure in recent times, together with commerce points, human rights, claims to the South China Sea and an ongoing US effort to counter China’s rising affect within the Indo-Pacific.
The White House mentioned Biden raised considerations with Xi over China’s “practices in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and human rights more broadly”. The US has accused China of finishing up genocide in opposition to its Muslim Uighur minority within the western area of Xinjiang — a cost that Beijing vehemently denies.
He additionally raised considerations about “China’s non-market practices” and mentioned it was a precedence for Washington to resolve the instances of American residents detained by Beijing.
“We’re going to compete vigorously, but I’m not looking for conflict,” Biden informed reporters on Monday. “I’m looking to manage this competition responsibly. And I want to make sure that every country abides by the international rules of the road.”
For his half, Xi mentioned he “looks forward to working with Biden to bring China-US relations back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of our two countries and the world as a whole”.
He mentioned that for the 2 international locations to get alongside, they have to recognise and respect one another’s variations, together with that “just as the United States has American-style democracy, China has Chinese-style democracy”. Neither aspect ought to attempt to remould the opposite in a single’s picture or search to vary and even subvert the opposite’s system, he mentioned.
Xi went on to underscore that “competition should be about learning from each other to become one’s better self and make progress together, not about taking others down in a zero-sum game”.
“The Chinese nation has the proud tradition of standing up for itself. Suppression and containment will only strengthen the will and boost the morale of the Chinese people,” he was quoted as saying.
“Starting a trade war or a technology war, building walls and barriers, and pushing for decoupling and severing supply chains run counter to the principles of market economy and undermine international trade rules. Such attempts serve no one’s interests. We oppose politicising and weaponising economic and trade ties as well as exchanges in science and technology,” he added.
The discussions between Biden and Xi additionally touched on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The White House mentioned the 2 leaders “reiterated their agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought and can never be won”. They additionally “underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine”.
The Chinese readout mentioned Xi informed Biden that China was “highly concerned about the current situation in Ukraine”.
“China has all along stood on the side of peace and will continue to encourage peace talks. We support and look forward to a resumption of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, we hope that the United States, NATO and the EU will conduct comprehensive dialogues with Russia,” it mentioned.
Both sides mentioned the 2 leaders tasked their groups to take care of common contact to observe up on their discussions and resolve extra points. As a part of this effort, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will quickly journey to Beijing, the White House mentioned.
Andy Mok, senior analysis fellow on the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based assume tank, described Biden’s remarks as “moderate in tone and conciliatory”.
He added, nonetheless, that the priority is that US rhetoric could not match coverage, particularly round Taiwan — a problem that Xi is “adamant” about.
“But certainly it’s great that both sides are talking and there is going to be more follow-up,” Mok informed Al Jazeera.