Joe Biden meets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of APEC summit
Beijing:
U.S. President Joe Biden praised “real progress” with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in California on Wednesday as they agreed to resume military-to-military communications in a bid to ease rising tensions.
The leaders of the world’s largest economies shook hands and smiled as they met for the first time in a year at a historic estate near San Francisco and ended the four-hour summit with a walk in the gardens.
But Xi and Biden remain far apart on the key hot-button issue of Taiwan, with China’s president telling his U.S. counterpart to stop arming Taiwan and saying reunification is “unstoppable.”
The two sides announced a series of deals after talks at Fillory Estate, the setting for the 1980s soap opera Dynasty, starting with the restoration of a high-level military hotline.
China severed military ties after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022. Beijing claims sovereignty over the self-governing democracy and has not ruled out seizing Taiwan by force.
Officials from both sides said after the talks that China also agreed to address the production of the drug ingredient fentanyl, which is at the root of the opioid abuse epidemic in the United States.
Chinese state media said they had also agreed to hold talks on artificial intelligence.
“Caught in conflict”
The two leaders have not met since talks in Bali in November 2022, and relations took a nosedive after the United States shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February.
Since then, Beijing and Washington have been engaging in intense diplomacy to bring the two leaders face to face.
Biden said the talks were going “well” and gave him two thumbs up, while he and Xi both waved to reporters as they strolled side by side at their scenic country estate.
Biden is scheduled to hold a news conference later Wednesday.
“We have to make sure that competition does not turn into conflict,” the U.S. leader told Xi at a long wooden table as the two delegations sat down for talks.
Xi Jinping responded that “the earth is big enough for both countries to succeed.”
“For two big countries like China and the United States, turning their backs on each other is not an option,” he said.
After an initial meeting and a working lunch that included vanilla ricotta ravioli, tarragon chicken and golden rice pilaf, Biden posted a brief update on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I value today’s conversation with President Xi because I think the most important thing is for our leaders to have a clear understanding of each other,” Biden said.
“The world faces serious challenges that require our collective leadership. Today, we made real progress.”
Taiwan tensions
But in Taiwan, rhetoric appears to be making little headway.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Xi Jinping had told Biden to “stop arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful reunification. China will definitely achieve reunification, which is unstoppable.”
Meanwhile, a U.S. official said Biden urged Xi Jinping to “respect” the upcoming election in Taiwan, amid concerns that next year’s election could become a new flashpoint.
Russia, a partner of China in what Washington sees as a growing authoritarian alliance, welcomed the meeting, which the Kremlin said was “important for everyone.”
For his part, Xi Jinping is expected to push for an end to trade restrictions as China’s economy struggles to shore up growth after implementing a tough zero-COVID policy.
Chinese leaders will have dinner with top U.S. officials after the summit.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
