Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed on Saturday to work with Donald Trump’s incoming US administration as he held his final talks with outgoing President Joe Biden on issues ranging from cyber crime to trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia conflicts .
Biden met Xi for about two hours at a hotel where the Chinese leader was staying on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, for their first talks in seven months.
Following Trump’s election, Xi met with Biden, saying “China’s goal of a stable, healthy and durable China-US relationship remains unchanged”, while acknowledging “ups and downs” between the countries. “China is ready to work with the new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation, and manage differences.”
Biden told Xi that the two leaders have not always agreed but their discussions have been “candid” and “candid.”
Two months before Trump returns to the White House, US officials see increasing risks of conflict during the transition. Biden told Xi it would be important to maintain leader-to-leader dialogue after he leaves office, said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser.
The president-elect has vowed to adopt a 60% tariff on US imports of Chinese goods as part of an “America First” package of trade measures. Beijing opposes those steps. Republicans also plan to appoint several hawkish voices on China to senior roles, including US Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Representative Mike Waltz as national security adviser.
Biden has aimed to ease tensions with China, and there were some signs of success on key issues.
But Biden and Xi agreed that decisions on the use of nuclear weapons should be made by humans, not artificial intelligence, according to the White House, marking the first time the countries have raised the issue.
The US and Chinese presidents also spoke about China’s ally North Korea, whose deepening ties with Russia and deployment of troops to Moscow’s war with Ukraine have raised concerns in Washington, Beijing and European capitals.
“President Biden pointed out that (the People’s Republic of China’s) publicly stated position regarding the war in Ukraine is that there should be no escalation, no broadening of the conflict, and that the (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) The introduction of troops is an all-out move against it,” Sullivan said.
“They also noted that the PRC has influence and capacity, and should use it to try to prevent further escalation or escalation of the conflict with the introduction of even more DPRK forces.”
major issues
Other key issues raised at the meeting included the recent China-linked hack of telephone communications of US government and presidential campaign officials, increased pressure by Beijing on Taiwan and the South China Sea, as well as Chinese support for Russia. . Biden also raised the cases of Americans he believes have been wrongly detained in China.
It appears that there has been a heated argument between the leaders on Taiwan. The White House said Biden called for an end to Beijing’s “destabilizing” military activity around the island.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Xi said that Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s “‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities” were incompatible with peace and stability there. Reuters reported on Friday that Lai planned to stop in the US state of Hawaii and perhaps Guam on a sensitive trip that is sure to anger Beijing in the coming weeks.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry thanked Biden for his comments and said China is a troublemaker.
“China’s continued military provocations around Taiwan are the greatest source of harm to regional peace and stability and a major threat to global economic prosperity,” it said in a statement.
Taiwan’s former economy minister Lin Hsin-i met Biden at the summit on Friday and invited him to visit Taiwan in the near future.
China considers democratically ruled Taiwan as its territory. Despite the lack of formal diplomatic recognition, the US is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
At the same time, Beijing’s economy has been hit hard by Biden’s moves on trade, including plans to restrict U.S. investment in Chinese artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors, and an export ban on high-end computer chips. Biden has called those steps necessary for US national security reasons and said they do not hinder most trade.
According to Chinese state media, Xi said during the meeting that no evidence supports claims of Chinese involvement in cyber attacks. He also told Biden that Washington should not get involved in disputes over the Spratly Islands, which are a matter of dispute between China and US-ally the Philippines.
Beijing has rejected a 2016 ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration in a case brought by Manila that said its sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis.
“When the two countries treat each other as partners and friends, set aside differences, seek common ground and help each other succeed,” Xi told Biden through an interpreter. , then our relationship will make great progress.” “But if we treat each other as rivals or rivals, compete hatefully, and try to hurt each other, we will damage the relationship or even destroy it. Will give.”
The two leaders also privately reflected on the clearly stated dynamics of their long relationship, said Sullivan, the US national security adviser.
Shen Dingli, a Shanghai-based international relations scholar, said China wants to reduce tensions during the transition period. “China certainly does not want relations with the United States to be in turmoil before Trump formally takes office,” Shen said.
Pacific Rim leaders gathered at the APEC summit on January 20 to assess the implications of Trump’s return to power. The South American summit offers new signs of challenges to the power of the United States in its own backyard, where China is positioning itself as a charm offensive. ,
Xi, who arrived in Lima on Thursday, plans a week-long diplomatic blitz in Latin America that will include a renewed free trade agreement with Peru, the opening of the giant Chancay deepwater port there and a state reception in the Brazilian capital next week. Is. visit. China also announced plans to host the APEC summit in 2026.
China is seeking Latin America’s metal ores, soybeans and other commodities, but US officials worry they are also looking for new military and intelligence outposts along the US border. Chinese state-backed media have dismissed those allegations as a smear.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
