By SEUNG MIN KIM and ZEKE MILLER
Associated Press
U.S. President Joe Biden, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting during the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, Nov. 14. (AP Photo/Alex Brando)
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — President Joe Biden directly opposed China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” against Taiwan in his first face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping as president, as the two superintendents Leaders of major powers aim to “manage” their differences in the competition for global influence on 14 November.
The nearly three-hour talks were the highlight of Biden’s weeklong tour around the Middle East and Asia, and took place at a critical time of growing economic and security tensions between the two countries. Biden later said at a news conference that the United States would “compete fiercely, but I’m not looking for conflict” when it comes to China.
“I absolutely believe,” he added, that there is no need for a “new Cold War” between the US and rising Asian powers.
Biden reiterated U.S. support for his long-standing “One China” policy, which recognizes the Beijing government — while allowing the U.S. to have an informal and defense relationship with Taipei, as well as a “strategic strategy” on whether the U.S. would respond militarily if Taiwan was attacked. ambiguity”. He also said that despite China’s recent use of force, he did not see “any imminent attempt by the Chinese side to invade Taiwan.”
According to the Chinese government’s introduction to the meeting, Xi Jinping emphasized that the Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests, the cornerstone of the political foundation of Sino-US relations, and the first red line that cannot be crossed. in Sino-US relations. “
Biden said he and Xi also discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and “reaffirmed our shared belief” that the use or even threat of use of nuclear weapons is “completely unacceptable.” This refers to Moscow’s unabashed threat to use atomic weapons as its nearly nine-month-old invasion of Ukraine falters.
Chinese officials have largely refrained from publicly criticizing Russia’s war effort, although Beijing has avoided supporting Russia directly, such as by supplying weapons.
While there was no watershed breakthrough, the meeting between Biden and President Xi brought long-awaited results, albeit modest ones, for both sides. In addition to sharing his condemnation of Russia’s nuclear threat, Biden appears to have taken from Xi an opportunity to resume lower-level cooperation with China on a set of shared global challenges. At the same time, Xi Jinping, who aims to establish China as a geopolitical partner of the United States, has been given a symbolic home court for the meeting and a strong one China policy commitment from Biden.
The White House said Biden and Xi agreed to “authorize key senior officials” to work on areas of potential cooperation, including addressing climate change and maintaining global financial, health and food stability. Beijing has severed such ties with the United States in protest of a visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August.
China and the United States are the world’s worst climate polluters, and their one-on-one climate engagement is seen as critical to avoiding some of the most dire climate change scenarios. The first stop of Biden’s long overseas trip is to attend a major climate conference in Egypt.
The two leaders agreed to send U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Beijing to continue discussions.
Xi Jinping and Biden shake hands cordially at a luxury resort in Indonesia on the sidelines of the G20 summit of large economies.
“In my view, it is our responsibility as leaders of both our countries to show that China and the United States can manage our differences, prevent competition from devolving into anything close to conflict, and find ways to cooperate on pressing global issues that require We work with each other,” Biden said at the opening of the meeting.
Xi Jinping called on Biden to “point out the right direction” and “elevate Sino-US relations.” He said he wanted a “frank and in-depth exchange of views”.
The two men took part in the much-anticipated meeting, which strengthened their political positions at home. Democrats triumphantly took control of the U.S. Senate and have a chance to move up their ranks by one in next month’s Georgia runoff, while Xi Jinping was awarded a third five-year term by the Communist Party’s National Congress in October, breaking the with tradition.
But under successive U.S. administrations, relations between the two powerhouses have become more tense, with economic, trade, human rights and security differences topping the list.
As president, Biden has repeatedly accused China of human rights violations against the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities, a crackdown on democracy activists in Hong Kong, coercive trade practices, military provocations against self-ruled Taiwan and disagreements over Russia and Ukraine.
The White House said Biden singled out U.S. concerns about China’s actions in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, as well as the plight of Americans it believed were “wrongly detained” in China or prevented from leaving the country.
Taiwan has become one of the most contentious issues. Biden has repeatedly said during his presidency that the U.S. would defend the island, which China sees as eventual reunification, in the event of a Beijing-led invasion. But administration officials have stressed each time that U.S. policy toward China has not changed.
Pelosi’s trip prompted China, officially the People’s Republic of China, to retaliate with military drills and the firing of ballistic missiles into nearby waters.
The White House said Biden “raises U.S. objections to China’s coercive and increasingly aggressive actions against Taiwan that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and wider region, and jeopardize global prosperity.”
Biden told the meeting that China’s economic practices “hurt American workers and families, and workers and families around the world,” the White House said.
The meeting came weeks after the Biden administration blocked exports of advanced computer chips to China — a national security move to bolster U.S. competition with Beijing.
Xi’s government said he condemned such moves, saying “launching trade wars or technology wars, building walls and barriers, promoting decoupling and cutting off supply chains violates the principles of market economy and undermines international trade rules.”
While the two have had five phone or video calls during Biden’s presidency, White House officials have said those meetings are no substitute for face-to-face meetings. They said the sit-down with Xi was all the more important after the Chinese leader’s third term tightened his grip on power, as lower-ranking Chinese officials have been unable or unwilling to speak up for their leader.
White House officials and Chinese officials spent weeks negotiating the details of the meeting. U.S. officials are eager to see how Mr. Xi handles the meeting after cementing his status as the unquestioned leader of the country — and whether it will lead him to more or less seek areas for cooperation.
Biden said that Xi Jinping is business as usual.
“I don’t find him more confrontational or more conciliatory,” Biden said. “I found him, as always, straight to the point.”
